Rondo in the Endless Sky
by Seiker Hikaru
Summary: All he was waiting for was one day. One day where things could finally change, where he could finally break the chains on him and others so they could finally fly free. He wasn't expecting that chance to rear itself because of some princess. At the least, a chance is a chance, right? "What makes an Ace? Well... that's a complex question. But it's always decided up in the skies."
1. Prologue: In the Dark Blue Skies

_Rondo in the Endless Sky_

_**Prologue: In the Dark Blue Skies**_

"_What makes an Ace?" Hmm… I think that's not so easy to pin. They say there's three kinds of Aces: Those who seek strength. Those who live for pride. And those who can read the tide of battle. Those are the three. A true Ace would be somebody who embodies all three types. And, I suppose I'm one of them. But that's just according to what the others tell me._

_All I know is, when I'm up there in the sky, I just forget about things. Not anything important but… my mind just clears. I forget about everything they teach us in training and just fly. No thought for numbers, no mind for calculations, just clear thoughts on simply _flying. _I accelerate, decelerate, climb, bank, dive, roll, and fire on instinct alone. I only realize how crazy I can get up there when I'm on the ground and everyone else is telling me about it._

_What color is the sky that far up? That's easy: It's a deep, dark blue._

* * *

"Dammit this swarm is huge! That wasn't the projected numbers!"

"Rather than panicking just kill 'em! Whoever gets the most kills wins!"

"Keep in formation Kitty! You're going too far out!"

"_Garm 1, new alert on radar! Four Sloop Classes just entered the AO!"_

"FOUR?! Just one is troublesome enough!"

The 18-meter-tall, light blue humanoid machine turned to the direction of the alerts, four shapes moving so fast they were just blurs as they shot by. Gunfire filled the air as several other similarly sized but of many different colors machines weaved around over the island the combat was above, screeching dragons charging and falling to the gun fire to the ground of the arid area below, the land bordered by two mountains. Amid it all, a white and blue machine then shot by the light blue one, the pilot clicking her tongue.

"Princess, don't chase after the Sloops!"

"Don't tell me what to do. Villkiss can keep up with them, so shove it!"

"Dammit, follow my orders will you?! And even if it can, you can't catch four of those types you idiot! Everyone, form into an element, get back to formation!"

It was seven machines versus a swarm, and with the high-speed dragons there now, odds were not in their favor from the looks of it. But, the crackling of their communication lines made all seven pilots in the area stop their chattering from a simple sound. Whistling.

"_New friendly IFF! Attention Garm Squadron, Mobius 1 has entered the AO! I repeat, Mobius 1 has entered the AO!"_

"They sent out Trigger?! You're kidding me, we don't need him!" The pilot of the red machine snapped, the blue machine's pilot sighing.

"Oh quit whining Count!"

From higher up than their machines were for combat flight, the pilots saw a streak of white appear in the air as something sharply redirected and shot downwards. And that was when they heard the engines roaring.

The machine that shot by was plane like. Its body showed other mechanisms in its form, and from the nose, rather than a clear cockpit, the segment was solid and colored black. From the shifting back-swept quad-wings spreading out from the center of the long body, the thrust of the engines was also coupled by thick streams of green particles coming from other ports on the frame that left a flowing trail behind the machine. Its body was ghost grey in color, and every section that was for flight control was colored dark blue. And marking the canards was an emblem colored bright blue and white: A mobius strip. While at the tail fins that sharply angled up was another marker: A stylized red phoenix.

As it passed, the gun slung under the body of the machine shifted a bit, blue bolts of energy arcing from the barrel and piercing through a few of the small dragons in the swarm, then banking away as others charged.

The movements of the craft were almost ridiculously fast in comparison to what the others were pulling. It's turns were sharp, evading charging foes with pinpoint corrections in the air that veered it around before blasting off in the other direction. The small dragons didn't have a chance to keep up with it.

"Teach, it's Trigger. Keep your focus on the swarm." The voice of the pilot of the new machine, unlike the other one, was male. The light blue machine turned to his as he spoke, watching as he rolled through the air before shooting down more of the dragons. "I'll get Princess away from the Sloops. Leave them to me and swat the rest of these flies, alright?"

"Got it Trigger. Alright everybody, form up! We're leaving the Sloops to Trigger! The Schooners are our prey!"

"Oh come on Salia! Those are a way bigger payout, we're just gonna hand them to _him_?" A red machine drifted over, the girl within voicing her complaint… and in return the light blue machined whacked hers on the head. "Hey! Don't scratch my paint job!"

"Count, save it for later. And remember to use TAC names when we're on a mission. Swan, Edge, Stingy, Ghost, form up on me and Count!"

"Yes ma'am!"

"And now for Princess." Trigger's machine came up next to the white and blue machine, which had gone from a humanoid form to something more plane-like as well. She'd been keeping pace with the fast Sloop-type Dragons despite their better speed, but they weren't taking so much of a scratch as her machines gun fired off in bursts at them. "Princess reform with the rest of your squad! The Villkiss is fast but you're never gonna catch those Sloops if they start flying for real."

"Bite me Trigger!" The young man in the cockpit could only sigh as she saw the girl on the machine raise her middle finger at him on the communication screen before she went right back to firing.

"Alright, hard way it is."

With the flick of a control stick, part of the airframe on Trigger's machine shifted, a robotic arm moving out and promptly shoving the Villkiss out of the way, sending it careening downwards while the arm retracted.

"HEY! What the hell?!"

"I'll pay for the damage later!" Trigger's attention turned to the four dragons now in front of him, which had gone into formation as vapor trails followed them. "So they can fly like that too eh? Neat… Wyvern, Pursuit Mode!"

"_Roger."_

An electronic voice replied to him. Following it, the wings of the machine locked down to effectively flatten the frame. As the engines began to roar even louder, streams of particles flew out from between the wings, forming structures like feathers within the gaps.

As the machine began to catch up to them at a suddenly blinding speed, the four dragons split off as they climbed. That only got Trigger to snicker as he pulled back on his controls, sharply angling his craft upwards to follow after the dragon that was no doubt leading the others.

The dragon roared as it saw it was being pursued, glowing lines coming across its body. Bolts of energy then arced off and back at the pursuing machine, which angled sharply and rolled repeatedly to avoid the shots.

"Hehe… come on come on! Ya gotta fire faster than that to hit me!"

"_Don't forget about the other three."_

"Ah lay off Wyvern. I didn't forget about his friends!"

The other three dragons were coming up from behind him, energy arcing from their wings as they attempted to get a hit in, all the shots being rolled pass. And with another pull as the pilot also slammed the brakes, yhe wings moved out of their flat position and the machine angled upwards. It rose and looped around as the dragons passed under it. Once it had leveled out behind them, ports on the nose opened up, small missiles firing from them, two of the dragons taking the shots right past their tails and falling with smoke and blood trailing from the wounds, the again active thrust causing the fighter to blaze past the falling bodies.

"That's two!"

"_Kills confirmed. Signatures for the Sloops terminated."_

"Alright… now I'm in my groove. Let's fly!"

As the machine and dragons began chasing each other through the sky, taking sharp turns and braking to try and get a chance to get a shot in, an onlooker would say it looked like a dance as ribbons of both particles and vapor followed the three in the air with every move, bolts of energy flying past and missing hits by a hair, micro-missiles firing and being dodged with fast breaks. The flight went from on high to low, the flyers arcing clear over the water and shooting over the island, streaking past the mountains and through the clouds.

Eventually one of the dragons did get behind the machine again. As it was charging a large blast at its maw, the pilot of the machine smirked. He angled the control sticks to be perpendicular rather than horizontal, the screen before him flashing with two simple words: Destroyer Mode.

As the machine began pulling back, parts were rapidly moving. Arms folded out against the cockpit area that now formed a torso as the nose section was pulled off, revealing it to be a shield that locked onto the left forearm, and legs spun forward while locking down to a waist formation, the wings angling to the back, and while still falling, an item shot into the right hand, a bright blue blade of energy bursting from it, the machine spinning and driving the energy blade right through the pursuing dragon. The other hand grabbed the rifle as it locked off of the shield and dropped forward, and a head unit rose up, fins locking down into a twin v-formation, and the face of the machine like a mask. Once the head had locked in, the "eyes" glowed bright blue, and as the wings finished locking into place, their engines burst to life as particles flowed from their ports again.

"That's three." The pilot adjusted the scarf around his neck, the targeting data on his visor tracking the last dragon, which was veering around in the air, specks of energy beginning to form across its body. "Ah that's just gonna be too easy!"

The now humanoid machine tossed the beam sword into the air, the blade retracting as it was released. The rifle was swapped into the right hand, the hilt of the beam saber being caught by the left, and then being rammed into the side of the rifle, forming a secondary handle. Then, ports near the end of the barrel opened up, rails shooting out and locking into place, vents opening on the body as arcs of electricity began running across the rails as power charged within the barrel. As the air began rippling from the output of the charge, the wings of the machine also angled to be parallel to the rifle, starting to roar as their thrust was kicked up.

While this was happening, the dragon was charging downwards right for the machine. The lights across its body shot out all at once, focusing right on the machine as the dragon sped downwards.

The pilot's smirk didn't even fade as the reticle in his vision locked on.

"Full power, full release!"

"_Wave-Burst Blaster, 100% charged. Ready to fire!"_

"Blow away!"

When the trigger was pulled, a dark crimson beam arced by lightning fired from the rifle. The air around the shot pulsed out in rings from the sheer force. As it arced through the shots fired by the dragons, the air filled with explosions, and the shot punched right through the dragon, blowing away it's body as the beam burst into an even larger state. From below, one could say it looked like the sky had been split open. The rails and barrel of the rifle were left a molten red for a few moments, and steam spewed from the opened vents as the weapon began cooling off, the rifle being lowered as the machine reoriented to be in a basic float, and the cockpit hatch slid open.

"Whew! Never gets less impressive!"

A thin hand covered by a fingerless glove grabbed one edge of the cockpit. As he rose up, messy deep blue hair with the nape tied into a loose ponytail started waving about in the air, the ends of the white scarf covering the lower half of his face flowing with it. A blue, black lensed visor wrapped around his head and covered his eyes, a quick raise revealing his eyes to be sharp, and as bright blue as the sky around him, also marked with a grey tint to them. And near the right eye was a notable, thin and faded scar no doubt earned from battle.

The young man leaned up on the edge of the cockpit and sat up on the lip between the hatch and the head, giving a chuckle as he adjusted his scarf, his pale face bearing an excited smile as he leaned back.

"Ahahaha! And the girls have finished up too! Nice drive Wyvern!"

His face made him look more like a tomboy than what he was, and rather than some kind of flight suit he was wearing military fatigues and a currently closed, white and black, blue marked flight jacket with three-quarter sleeves.

"_The praise all goes to you Alain. I'm merely your humble tactical advisor." _A smooth but electronic voice came from the monitors below, Alain giving a chuckle as he leaned back to look at the image on the monitor, a pulsing series of colorful lights and lines.

"Hey c'mon Wyvern, it's Trigger when we're on missions remember?"

"_Hmhmhmhm. Of course. So, shall we join up with Garm Squadron and head on home?"_

"Well they are about finished up." Alain lowered the visor and got it to zoom in on the finishing up engagement, and of the machines flying around, a bright pink one carrying a metal half blade turned and waved to him, Alain waving back. "Yeup. Let's get back to base."

* * *

_-Only doing this because Salia recommended I do it. A journal sounded useful, I guess._

_The name's Alain (full name Alain Pasternak), TAC name Trigger, callsign is Mobius 1. Leader and sole member of Arzenal's Mobius Squadron. In this world, we do one thing: Hunt and kill dragons. We fight for a people who hate us, and don't have much of a choice in the matter, and barely any of us know anything else in our lives._

_Norma. Humans who are incapable of using mana, the force that drives the society we were cast out of. It's a bit more complicated than that, believe me, but that's where the basics are. I should also add that by what can probably said to be either a divine joke or trick of the devil, I'm the only male on an island full of women._

_It's… somewhere between hell and heaven I suppose. Just so long as you keep yourself on the top anyway. My case is a bit different, though not unique. I was born on Arzenal, and this kind of life is the only one I know._

_My best friend is an AI on board a mech too. Wyvern, the name of the mech and the AI in it. He's an old thing, a machine my dad found when he wasn't much older than I am right now. Lucky me Wyvern ain't some hunk of junk para-mail like what everyone else has to use. Wyvern is smart too, _really _smart. I was never able to find out where he's from or who made him. He doesn't know either, apparently because of damages to like… memory banks, or something, I dunno. I'm not good with technobabble._

_All I know is, that's how life has been for me for years now. Go out, hunt dragons, come back, rinse and repeat with few breaks in between. I have friends, tentatively speaking or even further would be more common to say. I'll uh… leave it at that._

_But, this is more complicated than just that. It's never that simple. No matter how much we wish it could be. Fate's a bitch, ain't it?_


	2. Chapter 1: Wings of Captivity

_Rondo in the Endless Sky_

**Chapter 1: Wings of Captivity**

"We come to you today on this _fine _day in the Empire of Misurugi with special news. The Baptism of royal Princess Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi is only hours away, and the entire country is in a state of revelry! The gits they are, rollicking about without a care in the damn world because why _would they _when in such a perfect state of things eh? It's not like they send unfortunate Norma off to who knows where-little do some know to a place that may well be hell on earth-all so their petty, idyllic lives can continue!... what a bunch of shit."

"_You seem particularly riled up about things today."_

"Wyvern, I've been here for a week. I feel some scathing sarcasm at these people's expense is well earned by this point."

Alain, dressed in a disguise of typical fashion for people his age in the empire, sighed as he angled his visor up over his head, leaning back on the wall behind him from his spot overlooking the city below him. A place that was bright as the cloudless sky above enough it felt like it actually hurt his eyes like he was staring at the sun, roads in perfect order and buildings pristine as can be. And true to the scathingly sarcastic fake report, every place was in a buzz like an agitated beehive in their celebration of the days event.

"Let's see now… aha! Royal procession in sight. Wyvern, start recording."

"_Roger."_

Alain pulled down his visor again and clicked a few things on the side of it, the image zooming in on the procession of vehicles coming into view, focusing on one in particular. Seated in one of the cars were the appropriately dressed members of the royal family. In one more car behind, on an elevated seat and waving to the hordes of people around was a blonde girl in incredibly (Alain would prefer to think painfully) elaborate robes.

"Ahh the exuberance of ignorance. Poor girl can't be older than 16, and she's got no clue how harsh this world of hers really is huh?"

"_Alain you only just turned 18 yourself not two weeks ago. Talking like you're much older than that girl seems… odd, to say the least."_

"Five years. We've been partners for _five years _and you _still _haven't learned a damn thing about sarcasm."

"_If you want to discuss how long we've been together, I've known you your entire life Alain."_

"Please just shut up and keep recording." Alain muttered, continuing to scan the procession as it went along. He glanced over another way, towards the massive, gleaming white tower that stretched higher than any other building in the city. The Pillar of Dawn, the prideful mark of the Empire and the symbol of their power among all the other countries in the world. The position Alain was in was outright perfect. Well away from the Pillar but close enough to have a perfect view, with the aid of his visor anyway, of the grounds before it. "Hmm… hey Wyvern, once the procession gets to the pillar, tap into the news feed so we can listen to what's going on."

"_Already on it. You don't think we should get closer than we are now? The visor's magnification only goes so far." _

"If I get down from here than it's just the open woods in front of the pillar and hundreds of people I don't wanna bother with. If we need to see anything, the news feed will work just fine once you tap into it."

"_Fair point. I'm into the feed. Want me to send it now?"_

"Wait until the royals get there and his highness starts talking." Alain reached into a pocket and pulled out a candy bar he immediately munched on, glancing down at the royal procession again. "But maybe play a couple from other sources that ain't being shown because of this will ya?"

"_Sadly no other event is showing other than this… hmm, there is something about a fight that broke out in Rosenblum. The police stopped it with a calming spell… if you ask me the mana humans casually using abilities to mess with another human's mind is… disconcerting to their values."_

"They're _also _the ones who send little girls off to die fighting against dragons in order to keep the heat off their own asses. They act all peaceful, but these folks are so easily swayed they're sadists at heart. I mean sure there's _some _decent folk among 'em… but let's see what happens if their society collapses around them."

"_Quite the cynic aren't you Alain?"_

"Pah. I just don't like these people. They're the reason a lot of people I cared about are dead in the ground or at the bottom of the ocean. Pick and choose." Alain just leaned back a bit more as he sighed, silent minutes passing in the wait as the procession went on, Alain tuning out the drone of the news feed that Wyvern put up into view on the visor. He didn't pay a whole lot of attention to what was spoken by the news casters, or hell even the emperor himself once the man was put on screen. He did decide a good time to pay attention to be when the blonde girl, the mentioned Angelise, took center stage on the news.

He wasn't expecting anything else as the girl stepped into whatever contraption set this whole ceremony in motion. The tower then lit up as all was silent from everyone, the top of the tower lighting up and beginning to spread particles everywhere.

Only for the light to immediately dissipate, and things to shut down completely. And as it did, so did a blaring alarm begin to sound off.

"Hm? Is that how it's supposed to work?" Alain murmured, leaning forward and tapping his visor.

"_I don't believe it is."_

"Wait… if it didn't work, than that would mean the princess is… ohhhh…! Holy _shit _I was not expecting that to happen! The Empire's princess is a Norma! Holy hell! How did they keep _that _under wraps for 16 years?!" There was a bit glee Alain's voice as he rocked a bit a wild little smirk on his face.

"_Want me to continue the feed?"_

"Cut it for all I care. I think this is plenty. The chaos _this _is going to cause is also a perfect cover. Time for me to scram!" Alain got up and turned into the doorway near him, hurrying down the stairs to the ground floor of the building. He pressed himself to the wall as police cars rocketed by, leaving once they were out of sight, ducking into an alley as he also raised the hood on his jacket, being sure to keep out of sight as he moved through the city.

It took some time, but once it was clear enough, Alain took to the more open streets as he took to a steadier run, keeping up pace as he moved discreetly though the city and the panicking crowds around as well of the people who hadn't gotten close to the pillar. Eventually the trek led him to the outskirts of the city, well and away from prying eyes and at woods leading out past it. A ways into the woods, Alain came to a clearing, one with plenty of signs that hardly anybody ever came to it. And centered into the clearing was what he was looking for.

The aerodynamic, slender frame, the ghost grey and blue colored body, the machine he so prided himself on but had to spend a week leaving on the ground and not in the skies it belonged in. The clearing was just large enough for its 20 meter long body and closed up wing-span to snugly fit into and remain hidden, with some room to spare for moving around.

"Hey there Wyvern. Ready to stretch those wings of yours after a week?" Alain stroked the nose of the craft before clambering onto a line that dropped from the side, dropping into the cockpit as it's hatch opened up, dropping his hood and pulling his visor back down as the cockpit closed, the various instruments and other things lighting up as the interior turned on, the dark view before him opening up as various things activated, giving a perfect view of the area around him, the only marring of the screen being the clear hexagonal panels of the outer cameras.

"_Alain, I was keeping track of that news feed, and it cut off. But, it ended when the empress took the princess further into the tower. The odds are the two will be caught once they exit the pillar to try and escape." _Now rather than just a voice in his ear, as the craft started up, one of the panels in front of Alain sparked on with pulsing lights, at the bottom of it being a few words, Deus Est Machina.

"So, looks like we're getting a new arrival tonight. We're gonna beat that transport back to Arzenal. Get the engines going, Wyvern." Alain adjusted his clothes a bit and tossed off the jacket and shirt, reaching behind him to grab a few things, throwing on a looser black shirt, and a white and blue flight jacket over that, giving a sigh as he rolled his shoulders when the weighty thing was on before buckling the straps around him. "Hate those kinds of clothes."

"_Engines starting. Take off ready." _Wyvern spoke, Alain grabbing the controls and pressing down on the pedals at his feet. The whirring up engines of his craft angled and started picking the machine off the ground and up past the trees. With another press, the machine shot off. As he was now quickly leaving the city, Alain looked back, chuckling a bit as he could only imagine what was happening below.

"Always good to see those folks losing their shit over something." Alain mused, leaning back a bit in the seat as a few presses set the craft to autopilot.

"_I'll clue you in we've also got dark clouds moving in. Looks like a storm is going to be rolling over Arzenal operational space by the time we arrive." _Wyvern said, Alain giving a loud groan of annoyance.

"Ahhh come on man! That means there won't be any dragon arrivals all day! Tch, I wanted to drop in on a run… let's see, keeping the daily rotation in mind, Garm would've been up today right? Hah, wouldn't mind pissing Zola off by crashing the party." Alain folded his arms as he chuckled a bit, then stretching his arms as he also took his visor off. "Well if it's gonna be a storm, I am gonna elect to sleep this out. How fast are we going?"

"_Currently cruising at 600 kilometers an hour. We'll arrive within five hours."_

"Always hate these long flights. Wake me up when we get there if I don't wake up beforehand myself. I'm expecting a LONG night once I get home."

"_Understood."_

* * *

_BOOM!_

"WHAO!" Alain shot awake at the sudden crack that broke the air, the Wyvern shuddering a bit before righting out, Alain grumbling as he pulled a hand down his face, slapping his cheeks to get the grogginess out. "Eesh… Wyvern, turn the cameras back on."

With that, the darkened cockpit lit up, and Alain was immediately met with seeing rain pounding onto the craft in an absolute torrent, and the occasional bolt of lightning splitting the clouds and striking the sea below.

"Sheesh this is a bad one. Did we get hit or something?" Alain rolled a hand behind his neck, some of the instruments in front of him filled with static for a few moments. "That'd be a yes. How close are we?"

"_On arrival now." _Wyvern replied.

"Finally." Alain put his hands back on the controls as through the storm, lights became visible not far off across the water. What came into view was an island, one holding a base built into the sheer face of the plateau that jutted from the water, most prominently from it being the massive flight deck that stretched out from one end of it, while at the base of the island, more manmade structures split out from it, expanding out what was there into more elevated platforms with more space to them, near as much as the actual island itself.

"_Establishing radio contact."_

"Arzenal, come in. This is Mobius 1 on return from extended mission, requesting permission to land." Alain tapped at a few things as he gave out the call, and he winced a bit as a sudden yelp came into his ear, adjusting his headset a bit as he also adjusted its visor. "Come on this ain't that surprising is it?"

"_Ah, sorry! This storm just made it… ahem. Copy that Mobius 1, you have permission to land. Land at Hangar 1." _A girl's voice came back over the line, Alain nodding.

"Copy that. Coming in now." Alain pulled on the brakes the bring the craft slower as he angled it in, smoothly landing on the platform, his craft moving in until it was inside of the structure, and finally out of the rain, Alain stretching his arms up as the craft rolled in, and he snickered a bit when he saw several others in the hangar. "Looks like Garm was grounded, as guessed."

As the craft came to a stop, Alain reached to the side and pulled something out of an opened slot, the cockpit opening up, Alain smoothly exiting as he pocketed the rectangular item. And barely had a second on the floor before being barreled into.

"Big bro! You're home!"

"BWAGH!"

Alain groaned a bit as he was knocked to the ground, not to mention nearly being choked out by the tight grip around his neck. Which was enough prompt to make Alain start slapping the ground once he started hearing things pop.

"Uncle, uncle! Vivian, how many times have I said not to tackle me?!" Alain wheezed a bit as he was released, also smacking the perpetrator on the head, sighing as the girl with pinkish-red hair whined a bit as she held the spot she got hit on.

"But you were gone for a week this time. It sucks whenever you're gone." Vivian pouted, Alain flicking her on the forehead as he gained an annoyed look. "OW!"

"Missions are missions. Orders from Jill are what they are." Alain said, standing up and brushing himself off, then patting the younger girl on the head. "But don't worry, I missed you and everyone else too Vivian. A week is way too freaking long for me too."

"Where _does _Jill send you off to that keeps you away for so long?" Another girl, this one at least the same age as Alain approached. Like Vivian she also had pink hair though of a lighter shade, and in a much longer curtain of it than a short and messy style. Despite her age the girl gave off a motherly air, and fit to that, was _far _more developed than the younger girl jumping around Alain and chattering in excitement, being not that much shorter than Alain by comparison.

"Places." Alain muttered, putting a hand on Vivian's head to stop her. "You know I can't talk about them Ersha. Kind of uh… classified and all that."

"Ohh and look at you too! Have you been taking care of yourself, right? Your hair is a mess, well, messier than normal, and your clothes are all wrinkled too." Ersha then started fussing at Alain as she tugged at the more wayward strands of his hand and adjusted his jacket, Alain flailing his arms to get away.

"You don't need to fuss over me Ersha, geez!"

"Haah, I always tell you to be a _bit _more concerned about your appearance, but you never listen to me."

"I think I do a fine job taking care of myself! I just like being comfortable." Alain objected, looking to the side in an obstinate manner, Ersha chuckling as she stepped forward.

"And as cutely obstinate as ever. Welcome home." Ersha used a hand to shift Alain's face, pulling him into a kiss, which only took a moment for him to return by wrapping his arms around Ersha's waist… Vivian meanwhile shielding her eyes while still peeking between her fingers… and then Alain got whacked on the back of the head by a clipboard, causing him and Ersha to break off the kiss as he hissed.

"Okay, ow." Alain muttered, turning around and coming face to face with another girl, one with dark purple hair kept up in a thick pair of twin tails, bangs bordering serious brown eyes, and was a full head shorter than Alain with a slender frame under her white uniform. "Really Salia?"

"If I didn't you two would make a scene." Salia said, pointing over her shoulder, drawing attention to the various girls in maintenance jumpsuits watching with interest in what was going on. "Plus, the entire maintenance crew is watching."

"Pff, some people see worse happening." Alain said, Ersha chuckling a bit as Salia went to smack him again, Alain smoothly dodging past the clip board.

"Don't be smart. Since you're back, you should probably head to Jill's office ASAP. She'll want that report." Salia said, Alain humming.

"Ahh come on, I know you're happy to see me back too Salia, loosen up a bit." Alain said, stepping past Salia and tapping a hand to her butt, Salia blushing as she jumped, Alain already trotting away as he cackled.

"Don't play around like that when we're on deck Alain!" Salia shouted, Alain just laughing again as he vanished into the stairwell. "Geez, he's got no sense for order sometimes."

"But you like that about him. You can be looser around Alain even at times like this you know?" Ersha said, Salia looking to the side. "C'mon, not like you don't spend nights with him too."

"Ersha that and this are different cases… besides it's just a… beneficial thing between us. We're not like _that." _Salia progressively hid her face as it got redder, Ersha sighing as she shook her head.

"It's not like you'd be rejected if you were honest with your feelings." Ersha remarked, then looking to the side when Vivian tapped her arm.

"Quiz time! Why doesn't Salia just tell Alain how she feels!" Vivian said, Salia yelping as Ersha chuckled.

"Because she's too shy to be honest about it." Ersha remarked, Salia grumbling.

"Viviaaan!" Salia yelled, Vivian chuckling before running off herself as Salia gave chase, and from the stairwell, Alain snickered as he turned back around.

"Glad to be back!"

* * *

"Hmm, so that's the situation there huh? Nice to know how the things that led to our new arrival went down. Haha, talk about a farce. Sixteen years of effort for nothing in the end. Sad, isn't it, Alain?"

"From a certain point of view, I suppose."

Alain picked up the device that was on the desk and stowed it as the projection from it vanished. Seated at the desk and now lighting up a cigarette, was an older woman with black hair, tied up into a high, wide tail. The smoke drifted up and past cold violet eyes that bore a light of hardened experience to them, and not a trace of warmth at all. Most notably on her though, was how her right arm was a metal, but moving as normal, prosthetic, which as Alain noticed, seemed a little banged up at the time.

"So the princess is here now eh? Heh, the humans work faster than we give them credit for sometimes." Alain hummed, closing an eye and looking Jill over. "What the heck happened to beat up the arm so much huh?"

"Ah this?" Jill lifted her right arm, the fingers moving stiffly a bit and the wrist also nearly stuck. "Let's just say the new girl got a little… hard to deal with."

"Might wanna be more careful with it. Jasmine'll charge you extra to replace those parts. That arm isn't as sturdy as you Jill." Alain mused, sitting down in one of the chairs near the desk.

"Peh, you're starting to sound like her now." Jill let out a drag and tapped a few keys on the computer near her. "The pay for your tenure is in your account now… though I presume you want to send some of it to _that _fund right?"

"…" Alain didn't say a word and just lifted a brow, Jill chuckling and pressing a few more keys.

"Of course, of course. You're really that confident she'll wake up huh? It's almost been a month now." Jill said, Alain standing up and stretching an arm.

"Well she's also stubborn like that. She'll wake up, no doubt about that." Alain said, not a hint of any lack of confidence in what he was saying. "So, anything else or am I free to go and crash for the night?"

"Don't make too much noise like every other time you come back alright?" Jill said, then pulling out a file. "There is one thing though. Here, the file on the newbie."

Alain grabbed the folder and opened it up, humming as he stared at the paper that was at the forefront, the image of the roughed up, blood stained face of the same girl he'd observed before.

"Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi, or now, Norma #1203-77… Ange. What's the point of showing me the file huh?" Alain asked, placing it back on the desk, though the silent look from Jill got gears in Alain's head turning, prompting him to sigh. "Lemme guess, you want me to keep an eye on her these next few days, don't you?"

"She's 16 years old after all. Odds are this one is going to be stubborn. She might just listen to you though. You _are _Blaze, the Ace of Aces after all. You've got authority here on Arzenal that's of a different kind than mine. Take is as a challenge to your people skills, Mobius One." Jill's tone was one what Alain could tell she was half joking about what she was saying. "In all seriousness though it's simply because I know you're better at solving problems than most here. And a troublesome element is more than it's worth sometimes."

"I get the sense you're going to be right about that in several painful ways." Alain muttered, looking at the file again, and blinking when something fell out of it. A silver ring with a green gem laid into it. "This is… huh. Hehe, well, looks like we've got something out of this."

"Exactly." Jill picked up the ring and rolled it in a palm, a smirk on her face. "If she proves herself, who knows, that old bucket of bolts we've had locked up for over a decade might just fly again."

"_I'll remind we also have my mobile platform as well." _Wyvern spoke up at that moment, Alain producing the terminal device from his pocket. _"But, were the Villkiss to gain a pilot again, it would significantly increase Arzenal's offensive capacity." _

"Good to know our long time AI friend knows what's up." Jill remarked, pocketing the ring. "So, along with your normal squadron rotations being back in order, your new standing orders are too watch Ange and help instruct her, along with whatever unit she's put into… hmm, I'm thinking Garm Squadron."

"Ech… you're gonna hand Zola fresh meat? C'mon, Coco and Miranda are already joining the squad, and I was running my ass ragged keeping Zola off those two." Alain groaned as he put a hand behind his head, Jill chuckling again.

"It's good you care so much for your juniors."

"More like it's cause that entire squad is people important to me… sans an exception in some ways." Alain gave an annoyed hiss as he made the remark, Jill just taking the file and putting it back into the desk. "But orders are orders. Fine. I'll try to keep the rookie out of trouble, no promises though!"

"Ah you'll be fine. Dismissed. And again, keep the noise down tonight. I don't want to hear about complaints from your neighbors on that floor. Both for the noise and because they're jealous." Jill said, Alain just laughing as he left the room. "Ugh, that boy is just as much a troublemaker as his mother… I wonder, what'd you be saying if you saw him now, eh Lucia? Heh, he even laughs like you. Can never get it out of my head."

* * *

"Ahh, and nothin' ever beats a shower. Beats having to wash off in a freakin' stream for a week."

Alain let out a satisfied sigh as he pulled the towel down off his damp hair, the loose strands left to fall about as the light clothes he'd put on after the shower lightly shifted as he sauntered through the halls of the residential area, his flight jacket over his shoulders like a cape.

"_Doing what you have to while in the woods is a must. You have enough survival skills to manage." _Wyvern said, Alain sighing as he pulled the terminal out of his pocket.

"Yeah but still annoying. I'll take a shower any day over that!"

"_I won't deny the comfort factor people take in warm bathing. Of course, not that I can quite understand it beyond the need to clean oneself of grime and other build up."_

"You're an AI shoved inside an eighteen-meter-tall war machine, of course you wouldn't get it."

"_An acknowledged fact. Shall we discuss possible plans for the new assignment given to you by the Commander?"_

"Tomorrow. I just wanna relax tonight."

"_Affirmative. I'll process the week's data recording and upload it to the main Arzenal server in the meantime. Good night."_

"Same."

Alain pocketed the terminal as its screen went dark. The path he was following went a bit further up along the facilities, from the more closed off and crammed halls to ones that, while still bearing barred doors and cameras every few meters, were larger in size, the less plain doors telling of it. Spinning keys on his finger as he stopped at one door, Alain took a moment and jimmied the handle, the door opening right up.

"Ah… hmm, the only people who have keys to my room other than me are Ersha and Salia… so one of them no doubt. I mean I'd hand out a couple more to some of the other girls I'm intimate with, but Jasmine won't give me any more… why am I saying this out loud?"

The room's light was out as he opened the door. The room itself was in effect, a decently sized studio-style place. Slid up to the right end corner was a large bed with a heavy comforter over it, and pushed up against the side of the bed not to the wall was a simple couch that sat in front of a TV with various things shoved in front of it, while closer to the door was a desk with a closed laptop on it, and a bookshelf with a variety of things stacked onto it, from the expected books to other items. A few of the luxuries one could get their hands on in Arzenal with the right amount of money… and some haggling/convincing on the part of the shop owner.

"Waiting with the light off and on the bed eh? Classic." Alain mused, stepping in and shutting the door behind him. He threw his jacket onto the desk chair and walked over to the bed, where a notable lump under the comforter shifted a bit. Alain smirked as he grabbed the sheet and started to lightly tug. "Let's play the cover game. Who, will, it, be?!"

_Swish_

The blanket was moved aside, and Alain immediately saw a flash of pink come into his vision before he was pulled down, his face coming into contact with something soft.

"Me this time." Ersha said, Alain sitting up on his arms as he pulled his face free of the enveloping space that was Ersha's gifted bosom. "Were you expecting someone else tonight?"

"Nope, not really." Alain hummed, Ersha chuckling as he smirked. "Besides you might as well be my roommate at times as far as it's concerned."

"That can go for a few of us. Now, before anything… get on your stomach, I'm gonna massage you alright?"

"I'm open for that! I've been sleeping in a cockpit all week." Alain did as was asked of him, Ersha moving and positioning herself over Alain, her hands pressing onto his back for a few moments, moving his shirt up and then pressing her knuckles down onto some sports, Alain immediately letting out a pleased sigh. "Ahhh… that's already nice."

"What kind of positions do you sleep in when you're gone? You're always so stiff when you get back." Ersha mused, Alain sighing again as her pressing started making spots on his spine pop with a satisfying feeling. "Though you have always been a bit of a messy sleeper. I suppose without a lot of room to toss and turn you just lock up."

"Hey… that was when we were-ow that pinched-kids." Alain said, Ersha moving her hands elsewhere after he flinched. "So… we got a new arrival today."

"Oh? Is that something you can actually talk about?"

"Yeah. Jill has me… ahhaaa… a bit there, I twisted that during some climbing… Jill has me assigned to watch this new girl. She's gonna be joining Garm Squadron once she's educated." Alain let out a deeper sigh when Ersha started kneading at his left shoulder blade, and the pink haired young woman hummed as she stopped for a moment.

"Our squad hmm? Is she older or younger than Coco and Miranda?"

"Older. She's 16."

"That old? And they didn't figure out she was a Norma until now?" Ersha hummed, Alain nodding as he rolled over and put his arms behind his head. "And I'm sure that's not something you're allowed to tell us either."

"Ehehe, yeah, sorry. Technically speaking those little missions of mine aren't even official, it's all off the record, so talking about it is something Jill said needs to keep quiet… even if the only person it'd be suspicious around is Officer Emma." Alain sighed as that though crossed his mind. There really was only one mana-human watching them all, but, secrets had to be kept where they had to be kept. Nothing that he could do about that. "But, did I miss anything while I was gone, or just more of the same?"

"Pretty much." Ersha remarked, laying down and nuzzling into Alain's neck for a moment. "Zola was how she is. I still don't quite get it though. You two used to get along so well, but now you two can't seem to stand one another. Well, I know there was that _one _incident, but it's been like this for years now."

"It's just cause Zola's prideful." Alain muttered, sitting up and stretching an arm, looking at a pencil thin scar running along his left arm from the wrist to the middle of his forearm. Not a wound he'd gotten during battle, a scar with a story he wasn't keen to tell anybody. "She just doesn't like there being another main alpha around is all."

"Well whatever it is, I suppose we can say it doesn't matter much." Ersha said, leaning on Alain's back and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Now c'mon, are we gonna have some fun or not? You're not the only one who's no doubt pent up after a week. You're gonna be busy these next few days."

"That's discounting sorties." Alain hummed, Ersha chuckling, Alain shaking his head as he glanced out of the barred window and the still storming sky outside. "Stormy skies… my least favorite kind of sky."

"Dark blue, right? That's the sky you like the most." Ersha hummed, Alain chuckling as he turned around.

"Yeup! Now, what was that about having some fun?"


	3. Chapter 2: The Island of Hellhounds

Rondo in the Endless Sky

**Chapter 2: The Island of Hellhounds**

"Well just from reading over this more, I can already tell Ange'll be one to sort out." Alain leaned back against the table he was sitting at alone within the mess hall of Arzenal, muttering with a pen between his teeth as he was looking over Ange's file yet again, though this time on Wyvern's terminal device, while on the table next to the empty food tray was a note pad with various words in his at the very least legible handwriting scrawled onto it, all of it being the marked down personality traits on Ange's file, lined to Alain's personal interpretation _of _those traits.

"Raised in the royal family" equating to "Spoiled rotten favorite child" being chief among them.

"Being raised in the royal family means that there's no doubts she didn't think any better of the Norma than any other typical Mana Human." Alain muttered, turning back around and tapping his pen on the notebook as he set the terminal down. "And she'll definitely be in denial about her status as a Norma. She's gonna get hazed hard and fast if she has an attitude about it. Ugh, just my rotten luck I guess."

"_Yet you don't sound very troubled by that idea. You wouldn't be smirking if you weren't." _Wyvern pointed out, Alain snickering as he closed the notebook and set the pen down.

"I'd be lying if I said you're not at least somewhat right. But I don't know her full personality, so I'll decide if she deserves it or not once I meet her later. I'll admit I was maybe a bit _too _hard back in Misurugi. That was just some Schadenfreude though." Alain said, and he let out a sigh when he heard a particular hum from a voice he knew well enough to find grating on his ears. "What do you want Zola?"

"You know just when I arrive! If I didn't know better, I'd say you know it's me because of affection. But I suppose the Ace of Aces doesn't consider me worth that, huh?" The woman who sat in front of Alain had both an air and look of being a good few years older than the young man, a curtain of blonde hair pulled back at the bangs save for a thick strand in front of her face. A wily smile and narrow blue green eyes, ones that were looking at Alain in an elder's way of looking down at a junior.

"Again, what do you want? Or are you just hear to rib at me like you usually do?" Alain's tone was flat, choosing instead to look at the terminal device instead of giving Zola the courtesy of actually looking at her directly.

"Ah do you have to be so cold? I mean you _are _going to be attached to Garm for a while, from what I was told." Zola said, Alain moving when she shifted to get into his field of vision. "I simply wanted to check in. You rotate squads so often when you're _not _mysteriously gone for so long every month, some of us feel like we hardly get time with you in the sky."

"If this is gonna lead into you coming onto me again, I politely, as usual, _hard pass_." Alain muttered, turning and keeping his back to Zola, though the woman just stood up and shifted to the other side of the table. "Personal space Zola. I prefer mine to not be invaded. Just keep things professional, got it? And _try _not to get handsy with the rookies this time."

"Ah but where's the fun in that? And besides, they're too young for anything more than some playing around. Even I have standards you know?" Zola said, Alain slapping her hand away as she reached at him. "So cold right now. And yet I hear you can be so _warm _in other circumstances."

"When will you get I'm not into you?" Alain sighed as stood up and pocketing his notebook. "Well, it was pleasant _as always _to talk to you Zola, but I've got some other things to do before training today. I'll have your back up in the skies, but on the ground, please cut the come ons."

"Ahahaha, well at least that means we'll be seeing each other again." Zola cooed, laughing again when Alain simply flipped the bird at her as he left. Though he didn't get far from the cafeteria hall before someone rammed into his shoulder. Alain hardly budged, but he did click his tongue as he heard a snicker.

"Whoops, sorry, didn't see where I was going." A voice with nothing but sarcasm in it, Alain sighing as he shook his head, a stilted look on his face.

"Ahhh… you always know how to welcome me back Hilda." Alain turned on his heel with a smarmy smirk of his own on in return. The one who'd so brazenly chosen to shoulder shove him was a girl with extremely long red hair tied up into twin tails, bangs falling before violet eyes. He'd dare call Hilda pretty if not for her her typical attitude towards him. "Always _so _warm with you."

"Well not like you're much better." Hilda said, cocking her hips to the side as she put one arm below her chest. "Of course I think enough girls here have other stories. Honestly I'm not sure you do much else besides work on that para-mail and stay in that bedroom with whatever girl decides to waltz in."

"_The Wyvern is not a para-mail." _Wyvern said, Alain pocketing the terminal.

"Ahaha, well not like there's much else to do here." Alain replied, not dropping the smirk. "Can only play around in the arcade so much before you get too used to it all. Gotta break routines up a bit somehow. But speaking of not much better, what else do _you _do eh Hilda? Can't imagine much, considering you seem content to let Zola keep that leash on you."

"I _would _say go get fucked, but you'd probably plan for that." Hilda shot back, a bit of a harder slant to her voice than before.

"Well it's not _wrong." _Alain said, pocketing his hands and leaning forward enough to bring him to Hilda's eye level. "Not my fault I'm pretty as hell. And who am I to be that cold eh? No shame in taking a willing partner if she offers."

"And you're as insufferably cocky as ever." Hilda hissed, shrugging as she clicked her tongue and turned on her heel. "Whatever, not my problem. Also if ya' don't mind, how about you give it to Salia extra hard hmm? Our Lieutenant needs to loosen up a bit, in more ways than one."

"Hah, if only you knew." Alain sniped, Hilda flipping him off as she left, Alain cackling as he turned and left himself. "She's always fun to snipe with."

"_As far as I can tell she seems to dislike you quite a lot." _Wyvern remarked, Alain shrugging.

"That's not really the point." Alain said. "Besides Hilda and I haven't gotten along since we were kids. She's always hated me… for some reason. Don't really get it sometimes. Meh."

"_It does not seem particularly healthy to keep up such a relationship. Though I could say much about that when it comes to Arzenal." _Wyvern said, Alain shrugging again.

"Whatever. Let's just get to the hangar. I got touch ups to do." Alain's gait stayed casual. This was all normal. As far as he was concerned, this kind of atmosphere was home to him, both the good and the bad. He didn't dislike it one bit.

* * *

The sounds of Arzenal's hangar was always abuzz during the day. When other squads were out on flights, the mechanics were working on the machines. Some in their robot modes so that they could have limbs removed and repaired, or other more sensitive parts like head-unit components more easily tinkered with, easy enough to do considering the size of the para-mails meant the heads were the size of a small vehicle in their own right.

Other mails were in their flight modes, being tested from the opened cockpits to make sure parts moved as needed, as well as things like weapon mounting and such. Some were being transitioned between modes to make sure the mechanisms weren't stiff or slow.

There were plenty of models, and most showed to have the same base to them. But as was Arzenal tradition, pilots could personalize their machine, so even ones with the same visible base had unique looks due to extra parts or paint jobs, along with other decals and marks.

And rather than under the main hangar, instead out on the open stretch of the upper launch layer, the Wyvern was crouched on the ground in robot mode. Alain was seated in the cockpit, his fingers on a keyboard he'd drawn out from it's console, tapping away as he checked different things, the information showing on his visor. Compared to his rather lackluster writing talent, Alain's fingers moved rather deftly across the keyboard, not a single tap off measure or missed.

"Hmm… nothing abnormal. Mei's check says nothing was wrong despite the lighting strike that hit ya', so that's good." Alain said, a flick of the keyboard's track pad casting the window in his vision aside. "No oddities in the drives aside from what's been there for ages. They're running as good as ever… Wyvern is this thing _really _over 30 freaking years old?"

"_Much older even. This platform was made with the best technology of the time. My record storage may be corrupted due to drive deterioration, but that much I know even without them." _

"Gotta hand it to those old worlders, they sure as hell knew how to make machines of war." Alain hummed, lifting up his visor. "Not that we know much about them. Doesn't help that the mana humans destroy most of those ruins and pilfer the tech in 'em. Makes some of my scouting _really damn hard!"_

"_We simply must take what we can. It does seem those kingdoms are intent to eradicate any trace of the old world."_

"No shit! They act so peaceful but that's only a façade. Human nature is human nature. They just act like they're above it. It's annoying." Alain set the keyboard aside and clambered over the console, sitting on the opened hatch of the cockpit and letting the sea breeze pass over, his hair wavering in the wind as he took in a breath, leaning back until he was laying down on the hatch, his legs hanging off the edge as he spread his arms out and shut his eyes. "I may prefer the sky, but the smell of the sea is about as relaxing."

"_Please don't fall asleep on the hatch when I need to return the frame to the hangar." _Wyvern said, Alain waving an arm up and letting it flop back down.

"I won't! Just lemme lay in the sun a bit, it's relaxing. Today feels nice, so lemme enjoy it aight? Run some self-diagnostics or something. I might just nap for a bit before I gotta run off to the simulator room later."

"… there he is! Heyyy! Alain, you're not sleeping, are you?!"

"Rosalie, don't shout if he is!"

"Ah, right. Sorry!"

"Maybe not." Alain let out a groan as he sat up, looking downwards. Looking up from the ground were two more Norma, one girl with short red-orange hair and blue eyes, the other with more concealing light blue hair braided over one shoulder and red eyes. In order, Rosalie and Chris, two other members of Garm squadron. "Hey there! What're you two doing out here?"

"Looking for you, what else?" Rosalie said, Alain clambering down from the hatch. "We've got nothing to do before training and we're bored!"

"And here I thought Zola was gonna keep you bunch locked up all morning. She not in the mood today?" Alain said, a bitter edge in his voice. Certain memories of childhood for them came to mind, ones that annoyed the hell out of him no thanks to hindsight. Most of them involved Zola to some degree or another.

"We're uh… off the hook for now." Chris said, Alain sighing.

"If that's how you'll put it. I may not like her but, meh. But seriously how long are you just gonna put up with her crap at times?" Alain's remark made both the girls flinch, his hand on his hip, and he waved Wyvern off when the mech's hand moved and held up a finger. "I'll keep bringing it up as much as I need to."

"Come on, she's not _that _bad!" Rosalie said, Alain looking at her with a raised brow. "I-I mean sure there was that _one _time but, c'mon, she hasn't tried since!"

"I still hold it against her, and will continue to do so to the end of time." Alain said, giving a sigh. "Not like I can stop her even if I wanted to. Seniority beats out kill-count in that regard. Annoying as it is."

"Again come on, it's not _so _bad. Zola's plenty nice in some of her own ways. She's just super competitive. Besides, not like there's other older pilots who _don't _hate your guts." Rosalie said, Alain tilting his head back as his look went strained. "Bad time to bring that up?"

Not that what she said wasn't true. To say Alain was universally liked in Arzenal was a stretch. Of anything there was only a couple other squadrons besides Garm that _liked _working with him on a general level. A bunch of the other captains didn't like him one bit thanks to still being rather young by comparison, but the fact his natural talents and powerful machine let him rise in the ranks so quickly didn't help matters one bit.

Of anything it's why his "Ribbon" nickname existed. Some people wanted something more insulting to call him so they came up with something like that.

"I appreciate that you try Rosalie, I really do." Alain said, putting a hand on Rosalie's shoulders.

"Ahhh, now I just feel worse when you say that!" Rosalie whined, Alain snickering as he stepped back when she tried to swipe his arm away.

"Well, either way." Chris said. "Jasmine got some new games in for the systems. Wanna have another go at high score runs?"

"You already have all the high scores on my stuff Chris. How much more do you wanna bang my ego up huh?" Alain said, faux dramatically turning away, Chris chuckling as she knocked him on the shoulder. "Though I might just get lucky this time. Cause I've been practicing!"

"You beat that _one _score yet? The one above your own by one point?" Chris asked, Alain making a grumbling noise. "You haven't huh?"

"Shut up." Alain muttered, folding his arms. "I will eventually though, bet!"

"You won't."

"Try me!" Alain snapped, though the expression he had was a casual, playful smirk, Chris chuckling again. Which followed up with Rosalie pulling the shorter girl into a hug.

"You need to smile like that more often Chris, it's cute!" Rosalie said, Chris grumbling. "You hardly ever do that around anyone else. You need to stop being so sullen otherwise."

"I'm not being sullen!" Chris shot back, waving an arm. "And let me go Rosalie, you're holding too tightly!"

"Ahahaha, you two are as close as ever." Alain said, tapping Wyvern's leg. "Wyvern, pop the terminal out will ya? I'll be heading off with these two."

"Whoo! We can brag about hanging out with Alain now!" Rosalie cheered, releasing Chris, who sighed as she rubbed her shoulder.

"He rotates between all the squads though." Chris pointed out, Rosalie flipping her hand. "Though I mean we do have the perk we're some of his oldest friends."

"Will you two not talk like I'm not in front of you?" Alain said, catching the terminal from Wyvern as the device popped out of the cockpit. "Now, what games are on the menu today huh?"

"We've got a new FPS and fighter on the list." Chris said, Alain already cracking his knuckles. "So it'll be even ground. Get ready to have your tail whooped!"

"I've also gotten another controller in, so Rosalie can join us on the FPS. You cool with that?" Alain tilted his head to Rosalie, the girl giving a thumbs up.

"You got it!" Rosalie said, the shirking back when she saw the gleam in the other two's eyes. "… I have a bad feeling about this now."

"You should."

* * *

The simulation room of Arzenal was probably one of the larger facilities of the base aside from the hangar. Long from end to end with high ceilings and holding a total of twenty simulators lined ten across from one end of the room to the other. The simulators were cockpit blocks of older para-mails that had long either been rendered unusable or simply retired from use due to age, rigged up with necessary components such as a side panel where one could set the simulation data to be used and view what the one inside was doing.

A space at the far end of the room had some extra room to it, with chairs currently stacked near the wall and a dark, large screen dominating that section of the wall. It was usually used by captains to explain plans for new formations or tactics during simulated training, or display certain things such as various pilot's data and other uses. It didn't get much use as it was, and dust was starting to gather on the monitor.

And in the room, Alain had decided a perfect place to nap would be on _top _of one of the simulators. Considering he was well and used to sleeping inside of his machine's cockpit the fact of the matter was Alain could fall asleep just about anywhere and in seemingly any position no matter how potentially precarious it was.

Like for example the top of a simulator a good two and a half meters off the ground where a tumble would make for one hell of a wake-up call.

Thankfully for Alain he was not a heavy sleeper in the slightest, mostly because if he _were _that'd be a death sentence of a particular, unspeakable kind. The-admittedly rather loud sound of the door to the simulation room being thrown open was enough to jolt the teenager from slumber. Rather than bother to get down, Alain just yawned and readjusted as he watched the members of Arzenals 1st Troop, Garm Squadron, enter.

The group consisted of Zola, Salia, Hilda, Rosalie, Chris, Vivian, and Ersha as the current members. Though along with them were two younger girls barely into their teens, Coco and Miranda. Now as opposed to Alain, the typical Arzenal pilot was kitted out different.

All of them wore pilot suits of various colors, which as it went all tended to match the colors of their piloted machines for those who had ones to call their own. The only real oddity of this kind of thing was the fact the suits weren't exactly all covering, leaving areas like the pilot's inner thigh, navel, and cleavage bear. Granted that was more a stylistic choice due to the summer season, and the full suits got stuffy to wear around during practice at this time of year. Set across their shoulders and also hooked to the waist of the suits were white segments of flexible, plastic plates that also carried a holster for the standard issue handgun and combat knife, with boots of a similar material on their legs. The "elites" of the squad all had raised visors that matched the suit color along its frames, while the clear, glassy visor was currently, of course, inactive. The two rookies rather had the version that was a full helmet, sans a mouth cover.

All in all it made Alain, who's gear when piloting was the same that he wore around the base, his heavy flight jacket, fatigues, so on, stick out a good deal. And considering how the Wyvern was it demanded he make use of the unique visor currently lifted up to his forehead as opposed to the usual one. He chose then to also sidle behind a section of the simulator where he wouldn't easily be seen.

Not that it took long for any pre-training chatter to die down and for the pilots to get into line, as not even a minute after their arrival, the door opened again. Jill strode into the room, in tow behind her being Ange, the glum looking blonde in the blue accented personnel uniform. Alain knew for a simple fact that, due to her age being much older than typical for Norma on arrival, the teenaged girl had been run through a crash course on just what it was Norma _did _at Arzenal… how much she'd paid attention to that, he'd soon find out no doubt.

"Salute the commander!" Zola's barked order followed into the lined up girls all assuming the standard Arzenal salute, stiff at attention and two fingers at an angle to the forehead.

"You handle the rest, Zola."

"Yes, ma'am!"

As Jill turned and left, the woman took a glance to the right, smirking as she saw Alain camping behind the simulator and keeping just out of view of the others. The dark-haired young man shot the woman a glance as she passed, but she dared not give away that he was already present. Granted anybody who knew Alain would know this room was one of his more frequent hideaways when it came to napping.

And that was mostly everybody.

"Welcome to the First Squadron of Death. I'm Captain Zola." Zola approached Ange and got right into the girl's face, but all Ange did was keep her gaze locked ever so slightly downward, not even looking Zola in the eye. Though stoicism turned into a yelp when Zola shoved her forward while at the same time coping a feel on Ange's bottom. "Lieutenant, introduce her. Now, as for when our extra is gonna be here as well…"

Alain promptly clicked his tongue as he folded his arms. Zola's tone told him she already knew he was present and just hiding away for a bit. He at least sidled around to the other side of the simulator so that he was closer to the others than Zola. He'd prefer to keep as far away from the woman as he possibly could after all.

"I'm Lieutenant Salia." Curt as expected by Alain, Salia then gestured from herself and to the other members of the squadron. "These are our assault fighters, Vivian and Hilda. Rosalie is our light artillery…"

"Are these all Norma?" Ange spoke amid the introductions and the responses of the others. Her tone was outright cold as ice as she looked over the pilots, looks ranging from surprise to outright disgust at how she phrased that. And Alain just wasn't going to have that.

"Yeup! And "these" are also your new wingmates. Like it or not Princess, you're gonna have to get used to it _and _the fact you're one of them." Alain stepped out from his hiding place more out of impulsive need to respond to that than his own will. He looked at Ange with clear ice in his eyes and his voice was just as frosty. The blonde girl however, looked clearly shocked to see him there.

Obviously, the idea of a male Norma must have sounded impossible to her, a girl raised thinking Norma were female only.

"W-What the… a boy, here?" Ange muttered, Alain folding his arms as he scoffed.

"Yeah, so what? I guess I should introduce myself though: I'm Alain, Captain and sole member of the Independent Vanguard Squadron, Mobius. If the name doesn't suit you, then feel free to use my TAC names, Blaze or Mobius One, your choice. I'm also gonna be attached to Garm for the next while to boot. So, you'll be seeing a lot of me."

Alain's statement came with a few reactions from the Garm members. For the most part, general elation at knowing he was being attached to them this time around, though Hilda, unsurprisingly, didn't seem at all pleased she was stuck with him for more than just her own choice times to needle at him. Salia for one looked a bit relieved he'd stepped in like he did, because Alain's presence immediately changed the air in the room.

"But hey, we're all Norma here!" Vivian, ever the chipper one however, spoke up and extended a hand towards Ange, the too kind for her own good girl happily grinning at the new arrival. "So let's be good friends, yeah?"

"I am not!" Ange, as Alain expected yet again, immediately denied such an idea though. "I am the Empire of Misurugi's First Princess, Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi! I am in no way a Norma!"

"But you can't use Mana, right?" An obvious reply from Vivian.

"Th-The Light of Mana just doesn't reach this far is all. In the State, I assure you…" Ange said. Nobody, obviously, bought _that _excuse and gave Ange various looks of disappointment at such a flimsy response to that question. Alain though, instead chose to actually laugh, which made Ange look at him as he had a hand near his face.

"Doesn't reach this far huh? Try telling that to our Overseer. She can use Mana just fine even as far from the main continent as we are now. Even you have to know a claim like _that _is absolutely bullshit." Alain folded his arms as he sighed, Ange just giving him a glare. He'd obviously already found himself nowhere near the blonde girl's good graces. "Deny it all ya' want Princess, you're no different than the rest of us here."

"Hahaha! Well for once I actually agree with Alain on something!" Even Zola found that funny, the woman leaning a hand on her waist as she chuckled again and put a hand to her face. "Dammit Commander, you sent us a crazy one! She's not even aware of her situation. She's defective."

"So the defect is being condescending?" Rosalie said, Chris giving a snide chuckle with a hand near her mouth.

"Oh, ouch. What a burn." Chris mused, Ange gritting her teeth as she glared at the two.

"_You're _the defects-OW!" Ange was cut off when Hilda stamped on her foot, the girl wincing as Hilda's heel ground in.

"Know your place, Princess… heh, I think we've already got her new name. Lucky you, you haven't even been here a week!" Hilda's growl turned into a smirk as she grabbed Ange by the shirt. Nobody went to try and stop the rough treatment. Hilda had just beat the ones who _would _have done it to the punch more than anything. But, also leave it to Ersha, the mother hen of the bunch, to calmly put a hand to Hilda's shoulder.

"Come on people, let's leave it there." Ersha said, Hilda looking back at the older girl with a raised brow.

"Huh? We need to smack the delusion out of ugly bitches like her!" Hilda also had Rosalie and Chris nodding in agreeance with her.

"True but…" Alain had to chuckle when Ersha agreed to that sentiment as well. Despite her nature Alain knew well enough Ersha could be as harsh as anyone else on Arzenal if she wanted to. She was definitely much worse when they were kids, that much was for sure.

"Ange isn't that ugly." Leave it to Vivian though, to make a comment completely missing the point of the earlier statements entirely. And another thing that got Alain to chuckle behind a hand in an attempt to control any laughter. Hilda otherwise was going off about Ersha always being too soft with newbies.

"Salia, you work with Alain and take care of her. Teach her everything." Zola though, spoke above that all and barged her way back into the conversation. Hate her as he did, Alain had to admit Zola was still one of Arzenal's better captains, with charisma that easily got people behind her when she was actually doing her job and not being… well, herself. Such as her complete defiance of personal space as she casually put an arm over Ange's shoulders, an easy feat for the woman as she towered over Ange, the only person taller than her in the room being Alain. "Be kind to the promising newcomer everyone. We're all Norma here."

Though of course, Ange glared at Zola as her teeth ground again, the woman's face nothing but smug as she looked at the girl. No doubt she was already having thoughts in her head about how she would play around with this "fresh meat" now thrown in front of her. Yet her air almost immediately changed as she moved away from Ange and stood straight, going right from "total bitch" to "serious commander" in an instant.

"All right, we're starting training. Ersha, Rosalie, Chris, come with me. We'll be doing long ranged attack patterns. Salia, Vivian, Hilda, you're training the whelps. Alain is also here to assist us in whatever training we do, so don't be surprised if he jumps in like he always does. Actually _try _to see him coming for once!" Zola's barking got immediate affirmatives and line ups.

And while the others split off to do as ordered, Salia and Alain were left with Ange, who was still in place as she grumbled to herself in an inaudible tone.

"This way, Ange." Salia started off first, though of course, the former princess stood defiantly.

"Nobody may give orders to royalty." Ange yet again tripped Alain off to laugh, which earned him a cold glare from her as he walked up to her.

"Royalty doesn't mean a thing here on Arzenal. Got it?" Alain said. Ange then decided it would be an opportune time to take a swing at him. Alain though, smoothly dodged the punch and caught Ange by the wrist. He wrenched her arm behind her back while also drawing out his knife, pressing the dull edge to Ange's chin. The girl's eyes were wide at how quickly that had all happened. "Now now, don't be feisty little puppy. Word of advice: Your flight lead's word is law. If they say something is black, it's black. If they say it's white, it's white. Act the renegade while we're up in the air and you could get yourself _and _your wingmates killed. And let me say, if anyone here dies because of you refusing to get it through your head, we _will _take it out on you if you survive, got it?"

"Alain you're being too nice. If you're going to threaten someone, use the edge of your knife, not the flat." Salia said, Alain shrugging as he released Ange and pulled the knife away, twirling it between his fingers before returning it to the sheathe. Meanwhile Ange looked like she was trying not to panic from that incident. "But, he's not wrong. Now let's go."

* * *

And now in the locker room, Alain was seated on the bench while Salia rummaged through a currently unused locker. Ange was standing there silently, but looking back at Alain with clear confusion on as he continued to tap away on the Wyvern's terminal device. Salia pulled out a rather worn looking rider suit from the locker, bouncing it a bit before holding it out to Ange.

"Here's your rider suit. Get changed."

"Ugh…" Ange's face twisted into a grimace as she saw how many gaps were in the cloth. Of course what she didn't know was that this barely there patch of cloth was just the basic one-fits-all skeleton of a full rider suit. "That's too scandalous for me… and are those… bloodstains?!"

"It belonged to someone else. They got shot down." Salia turned the suit over and pulled off the nametag in the suit as Ange looked at it. Salia looked at Alain as she set the tag aside, sighing as she held the suit out again. "Look, it's all we have for you right now. You can fill it out with extra material or padding later. Or if you don't wanna use someone's old kit, just buy a new one later. Just quit whining and get changed so we can start your training."

"Okay but why is _he _in here?"

"Why would he not be?" Salia's tone was as much a question as Ange's. If anything all that did was confuse the blonde more for a moment. She looked to Alain, who just gave her a flat look like even he thought that remark was stupid. Ange however, wondered just what was _wrong _with them that Salia wouldn't even question Alain being in the same room as them if she was going to get changed.

"Ugh… whatever. But I am not going to wear that! I would rather be naked!"

"Ohhh?" Salia looked at Alain as he started chuckling, a smirk on his face as he leaned on a hand. "Well?"

"I mean if she'd rather." Alain said, laying down with his arms behind his head.

And moments later, Salia had stripped Ange down and shoved the completely nude girl out into the hallway, Alain laughing as Salia slammed the door behind her as Ange tried to lunge back into the room. Of course it wasn't even a second later that Ange's yelling and pounding on the door sounded. Though the two pilots decided to give it a moment before Alain let her back in, Ange stumbling in and collapsing to the ground. Her face was beet red and she was breathing heavily. Alain couldn't wipe the smirk off of his face as he snickered.

"You'd rather be naked, wouldn't you?" Salia held the suit out again. Ange sucked in a breath between her teeth and grabbed the item. Alain hummed as Ange fiddled around with the suit, chuckling to himself as he leaned against the wall.

"Lemme guess what you're thinking: "Oh, they're just like the people back home said! How barbaric, crude, and violent!" Hah!" Alain couldn't help but mug at Ange as she looked at him with a glare. Clearly he'd been spot on with his guess about her thoughts on all of this. "Soo… how long as you going to just mess with the suit eh? I mean don't mind me, I'm just enjoying the view."

Ange flinched. She felt equal parts suddenly embarrassed but also desperate to throw something at Alain as he chuckled. Salia shot a look at him but the young man just shrugged as he decided _now _to actually be a bit polite and cover his eyes.

"But seriously, what are you doing?" Salia asked, Ange shuffling in place a bit, looking back with a sheepish gaze.

"Help me, please."

"Huh?! You've never put on your own clothes before?!" Salia looked taken aback as Ange looked forward, a small mutter of "yes" from Ange affirming the question. Salia sighed and put a hand to her head. This was not something that she was used to at all. "Man, you're worse than a kid."

"Actually I think a kid is better than her." Alain quipped, Ange too embarrassed by the situation to do much more than grumble as she avoided the two's looks. "What kind of handful did you just throw our way Jill? Geez…"


	4. Chapter 3: An Arzenal Initiation

Rondo Blaze: Sonata to Memento Mori

**Chapter 3: An Arzenal Initiation**

"_The reason we exist is to be weapons. We fight foes the humans cannot, DRAGONs. Only in battle can we Norma find a purpose in this world." _Words that every Norma on Arzenal knew and oft had repeated to them. The vast majority of Norma in the world were brought to Arzenal at very young ages, typically from infancy but some slipped through the cracks and went a few years living under the impression they were no different than anybody else until either a mandatory check or slip up on the part of their parents caught up to them.

As such Norma were also typically educated from a young age, usually starting at six years old and continuing until they were twelve, which they officially came of age and started further training into actual practical application of the lessons taught to them at those younger ages. And the official initiation for new pilots was such: Their first session in the Para-mail simulators.

Being as the machines were directly made out of the cockpit blocks of Para-mails that had been wrecked beyond repair or simply become too old to continue service, everything the young pilots would need to get used to was conveniently there for them to get a handle on. The simulators were also modified to simulate actual flight experience to get one accustomed to the sensation of flying one of the machines before their first combat deployment.

It was in one of these simulators the much older than typical Ange was looking utterly dumbfounded in as she looked around the console in front of her. The seat was somewhat leaned back, and at the least it was mildly comfortable to sit in, though she found the harness a bit tight. The console itself was split in two, upper and lower. Ange could tell a targeting device when she saw one, though the current dark panels both near the targeting panel and by the central console had uses she didn't know much for. The controls themselves consisted of a pair of common flight handles, though for the girl raised in the Mana society where vehicles were controlled through simple devices that funnel mana through them, actually having things she had to grab and adjust her fingers around felt incredibly foreign to her.

Not that she had ever _used _such things before. As a princess it had never been something she'd needed to, as there was always others to do it… but maybe that should have been the first hint to her about what was actually going on.

"… move the left controller forward to use your main throttle and accelerate, pull back to brake and slow down. Use the pedals to adjust your pitch and roll. Your indicators for altitude, speed, pitch, and the radar are on the center console here, along with your switches for the arresting gear and drive activation. These dark panels here on the side are for communication visuals with your wingmates. That's all you need to know for now." Salia stepped back from the opened door of the simulator as she finished her explanation of the controls. Alain was tapping away on the device's outer panel to set up the simulated mission. Ange just looked confused.

"What is this thing?" An inevitable question of course. Salia scoffed a bit as she put her hand on the door.

"A Para-mail simulator."

"Para-mail?"

"Coffins for us Norma." Salia shut the door with that remark, Alain humming as the image on the screen changed to an inside view of Ange at an angle. "I don't expect you to be able to do this on your first try. First, you need to get a good feel for flying. We'll start teaching you about combat maneuvers and weaponry once you're at least passable in that regard."

"Just so ya' know, the average human can only handle a G-load of around five, and even then, you _might _pass out. Our best pilots can handle a good nine or ten without issue. Para-mails have enough thrust to pull way more than that in tight turns, but even with their dampening features you'll still be feeling about close to six or seven Gs. Good luck newbie." Alain seemed almost thrilled at the prospect in front of him as the others got underway with setting Coco and Miranda off on their own flights. Salia couldn't help but sigh a bit at the devious smirk on his face.

"Just what do you expect me to do?" Ange asked.

"Not crash, for the most part." Alain said, Salia whacking him on the arm.

"Ange, confirmed. Mission 07, start." Not even giving a clear answer, Salia elected to launch Ange with an override command. And the second she did, the girl's terrified screaming as she suddenly felt the force of the rapid launch from the catapults Para-mails launched off of hit her. Salia didn't look impressed at all as Ange yelled in terror about what was going on, and Alain was hunched over while biting his lip in a vain attempt not to laugh out loud. "Don't let go of the controls. Even if you're strapped in, if you're not set right you'll only make things worse for yourself. Climb."

"How much should we bet she does crash?" Alain said, tugging at his scarf as he watched Ange desperately grab back onto her controls as the simulated machine shot upwards in an admittedly shallow climb, but for a newbie to flying it certainly felt worse. Salia kept calling out simple maneuvers, and Ange was visibly struggling under the forces she was feeling thanks to the simulator, grating her teeth and trying to fight back as her body kept shifting with each movement being made. "Open your eyes Ange. An actual battle is way worse than this. If you're not alert at all times, you're as good as dead."

"EASY FOR YOU TO SAY!"

"At least she's got guts." Salia's remarked also came with that usual snicker from Alain. Ange actually got into a set position, looking forward even as she kept grinding her teeth. One had to worry she'd crack one or two with how hard her jaw was clenched at the moment. "Onto nosedive training. Try not to crash here alright? Lots of newbies do."

Ange yelped again as the simulated craft suddenly angled downwards, and now the ground was rapidly rushing towards her as the craft rocketed downwards.

"Pull your nose up already! You'll crash if you wait too long." Salia barked, Alain humming. He'd caught Ange looking like she was onto something… but his hopes weren't incredibly high for her. Salia was about to press the button to cancel the sim out, though Ange yelled as she started pulling on her controls to fly back up.

Only to find she'd done so too late and go crashing right into the ground. Salia and Alain winced as the simulator blared while Ange was jolted around the cockpit. Once it finally went dark, the two threw open the door, and Ange was _very _quick to free herself of the seat and stumble out onto the floor, breathing heavily and looking ready to throw her guts out all over the floor.

"Should've pulled up when I told you." Salia muttered. "Para-mail weigh several tons. You can't pull one out of a dive that shallow and expect to cleanly make it back up. You're lucky this was just a simulator, don't try a move like that in the real thing."

"W-What-URF!" Ange put a hand to her mouth as her cheeks bulged, and Alain kicked a bucket over that was set by specifically for a situation like this. Ange promptly grabbed it and emptied whatever contents her stomach actually had into it. All in all, this much was about as expected from things. "W-what is all of this anyway?"

"Welcome to the typical life of an Arzenal pilot. We still got more in store, so buckle up. At least your stomach is empty now." Alain said, Ange looking at him with a worried expression. "We've still got a few more lessons to go today."

"You're kidding me…"

"Nope." Salia said, tapping the simulator. "Mount up."

Ange just groaned in distress at the idea of having to go through this again. And again she would, because there wasn't much of a choice there.

* * *

And some time after the simulator training, once the three newbies had been able to settle down from the training and actually not be a bunch of disoriented messes, everyone was seated at the large screen at the other end of the room. Zola was standing, and with a quick tap of her hand, the screen turned on and started displaying various things as she swiped around on it.

"Alright you three, time for the rundown of what they _didn't _tell you in those classes now that we know where you all stand as pilots." Zola said, looking among the three new additions. Coco and Miranda rated average, not terrible but they'd had a fair few crashes. Ange on the other hand, had displayed a natural talent that only had to be refined to actually give her skills while flying. Her initial crash had been her only one, not that she hadn't had some close shaves. But that was a concern for later. Zola had other things to tell them about. "Also the rest of you girls, take this as a refresher course. Now, as all of you know, the duty of us Norma is to fight DRAGONs, who appear here in our world through holes they open up between ours and theirs."

Another tap on the screen, and Zola pulled up various images of different DRAGON classes. The small and numerous Schooner class, the large classes like Brigs and Galleons, and the incredibly fast, medium sized Sloops as the main examples.

"These nasty babies here. These are what we kill whenever we get to fly out. The average incursion can include dozens of Schooners, and usually one of the big boys here. And if you get _really _lucky, you'll run into an entirely new type as well. But that's for later. All you need to know for now, is that when you see one of these, kill it in whatever way you can." Zola then chuckled, folding her arms. "And if you wanna earn your rep around here, you're going to want to kill a lot of them and actually make it out alive. Lucky for you girls you're in Garm. We get sent out _a lot, _so you'll have plenty of chances to earn your wings. Anyone of you three wanna guess what some of our traditions are?"

Zola got relatively confused silence. Ange of course had no clue on earth or hell what she was going on about that, while Coco and Miranda were visibly mulling over it.

"Well… I know other people say when you're in Garm you… oh yeah, the saying was "You dive into hell and climb out a bitch of war." I think." Miranda answered first, and while nobody else reacted, Ange looked subtly horrified such a young girl so casually said that particular word like it wasn't a big deal.

"Ahaha! Well you're not wrong Miranda, but that's not quite what I was talking about. It's more along these lines…" Zola then got to explaining exactly what she meant by traditions. Among pilots of Arzenal, each one of them had a nickname that also served as one of their callsigns when in operations. For example among the entire group, Alain was Trigger, Salia was Teach, Hilda was Count, Ersha was Swan, Vivian was Edge, Rosalie was Stingy, Chris was Ghost, and Zola herself was Vixen. Each one of them had earned those names for differing reasons after becoming pilots, EG, Alain got "Trigger" for having been a trigger-happy hot head, and he was hardly any different nowadays. Hilda got her "Count" nickname since she always made a game out of counting kills during deployments.

Getting your callsign was something of a rite of passage in Arzenal, one being considered "graduated" once you got it because it meant you'd proven yourself enough to your wing mates to get it to begin with. Of course, they also often served as a handy reminder of _why _one got it anyway, so sometimes the nicknames became a contentious point that then got co-opted into something one was often proud of.

"Like for example, Alain's OTHER nickname."

"Zola I'm gonna stop you right there!"

"Ah why not kid? You _do _have that emblem of yours after all."

"It's a Mobius Strip!"

"Ah don't be so stingy, _Ribbon."_

"You're not allowed to call me that."

The exchange between the two captains actually prompted a few laughs among the group, even as Alain also promptly flipped Zola the bird while she cackled, a gesture the older woman returned in kind. There was a clear animosity between the two, but there was also levity to it. It was a strange blend of respect as well. Ange, who wasn't used to this kind of atmosphere one bit, was still sitting there gawking.

"Alright then, moving on. And this'll be more for the new girl who _doesn't _know. But, allow me to show you Arzenal's Top Ten." Zola tapped the board again, and this time the image changed to a list. Ten people on it, their mugshots marking the furthest side. Ange's eyes scanned upwards, rather surprised all of the top rankers on it were people here in this room. The tenth and ninth were in different units, but, from eighth to first, the order went Rosalie, Chris, Ersha, Vivian, Hilda, Salia, Zola, and Alain. Next to their names were their nicknames as well as the designations of their machines… and next to those, numbers denoting a simple thing: "DRAGONs killed." And Alain's count had reached well into the triple digits even past Zola's own impressive triple digit number, though the numbers were close to each other. "This here is our little board to let people know just who tops here. As you can see I, your lovely captain, am only just behind Alain here, the lucky son of a bitch who's also got the title "Ace of Aces." Course he also has a monster of a machine but that's neither here nor there now is it? That title's just a formality anyway."

"On with the point." Alain cut in, standing up himself. "The basic idea of this is to try and encourage some healthy competition among pilots. Some take this a lot more seriously than others do. Also, we pilots have a few unwritten rules. Number one is what you SHOULD keep in mind: No kill stealing. Ever. The only reason you should take the kill from a wing mate is because they got damaged and need to pull back because they can't keep fighting. Otherwise, _never _shoot down a DRAGON someone else is aiming for. We get paid per kill, so it's generally agreed upon it's a bitch move to do that."

Everyone around nodded to that. As it were that was indeed the core unspoken rule among the Arzenal pilots. The general idea was that once they knew the number of DRAGONs in a swarm, they could then divide up the numbers among the lot to even out the pay. Obviously this wasn't always to plan, no plan survives an encounter with the enemy after all, so some earned more than others usually simply because they were able to get into the thick of it faster or remain operational longer. Zola then went on to explain exactly how that worked. The smaller classes of DRAGONs like the Schooner were a pay-by-kill exactly as said, and the same went for Sloops due to the fact a single Para-mail had the firepower to take one down without assistance due to being the sole "medium" class DRAGON.

As for the larger classes however, they weren't so easy to down just with gun or rocket fire alone. For them one would earn pay merely for assisting in the take down, while the biggest portion of the pay for a large type would go to whoever landed the kill shot. Zola did also mention what they called "Virgins", new types of DRAGONs they rarely encountered, but she also decided to save that full explanation for later, simply noting that if one shows up it's a massive payout since even just information is enough to get one a good sum of money.

Ange, for her lot, was _still _confused as all of this talk of money added to all her mounting questions about this place. Alain knew well enough why. The mana human society didn't operate on what could be called a typical economic system. With the fact mana powered essentially _everything _they used that wasn't tied to an electrical grid, there wasn't any resources to make any fusses over, and thus at the same time nobody had to pay for a thing. Everything produced in the mana society were there for free to be used as needed. And as a royal, Ange would have had it even better off.

Of course Alain knew a bit better about that society, and he had the recordings and stolen records to prove that the "ideal" society she came from wasn't as ideal as she likely thought it to be.

"So that about wraps this up! Now, that's been enough of a break I think." Zola chuckled as she turned the board off and scanned over the gathered crew. "We've still got more practice to go through before we're off for the rest of the day!"

"What?" And Ange could only give an exasperated sound at the idea they still weren't done after being literally thrown around by a machine for part of the day. What kind of crazy people were these Norma that they'd do something like _that _and still keep up through the rest of the day? Just what kind of hell had she found herself thrown into?

* * *

Training at Arzenal extended far beyond simple piloting skills. While piloting was arguably the most essential of the skills they learned, the Norma who went on to be pilots over mechanics, engineers, or tech specialists-who even then went through physical training of their own-were undoubtedly trained to be soldiers in every discipline. Obstacle courses to test endurance and speed in the face of a tricky environment, marksmanship with various kinds of guns ranging from small caliber handguns to heavy sniper rifles, and hand-to-hand combat.

It was in _this _instance that like with the Para-mail simulator, Ange was getting thrashed around like it was nothing. Now it wasn't as if Ange lacked in physical ability. Despite having been the princess of her former kingdom she'd attended a normal school and participated in sports, and of anything she'd been quite talented at them as well. Ange hadn't had a problem doing the running exercises with a full pack of gear weighing her down, and she'd had an easy time with the obstacle course.

But hand-to-hand sparring? That was _not _something Ange was proficient at in the slightest. She'd at first simply watched the others, and to her surprise even Alain participated in the spars despite the fact he had a much more advantageous build despite his svelte nature. Ange knew a bit about martial arts, but whatever style any of the Norma used was completely unknown to her. It seemed to vary from each of them anyway, not a single one of them using any similar method as the other.

And in lieu of that situation, while Ange had enough physical strength to manage in a grapple with false weapons against Salia, she very quickly found herself getting wrecked by Alain during sparring with bare hands alone. It wasn't just that Ange lacked proper martial arts know-how, but that Alain was dealing with any move she sent his way _far _too easily… and by the time the exchange ended with Ange pinned to the mat, she gave a grumble as Alain got off her when Zola called it.

"Ugh… how is it fair to have me go against a boy?!" Ange shot up as she protested. An earnest point for sure. Alain was the tallest one of the lot here at a good 177 centimeters, only 2cm taller than Zola, and slender he may be but he wasn't lacking in muscle either. And Ange wasn't unathletic either, so it wasn't as if she could excuse herself for lacking physical ability.

What Ange didn't expect from the pilots was for them to _laugh _(or at least attempt not to) like what she was saying was absolutely ridiculous.

"Do you really think the DRAGONs are gonna be fair to you? Just cause we're inside a giant metal machine doesn't mean a fight's "fair" Princess. All it does is make sure the odds aren't against us completely." Alain adjusted his bangs as he leaned back on a single leg a bit. "That and calling this unfair is… well, I'll let more qualified people put it best."

"Simply put, saying it's unfair because Alain is a man is ridiculous." Salia spoke up, though Ange gave her a bit of a look since even the seemingly level-headed Salia had laughed a bit earlier. "Just because he has a naturally better degree of strength means nothing. If you actually want to win in a real fight, then don't try and be "fair", you'll never win that way."

"That's rich coming from you." Hilda threw the jab out, and Salia growled at her in response, though the redhead was unfazed as she put her arms behind her head. "But either way, it is how it is! We all grew up with Alain so it's not like we can't handle him on the ground. A rookie like you though? Give it some practice."

"I beg to differ about being able to be handled on the ground." Alain had a smarmy tone as he replied to Hilda, his smirk earning a cross look, "Let's see… ah yeah, you haven't beat me in sparring since about three months ago."

"Oh son of a… well then, if it's a rematch you want it's one you'll get!" Hilda charged right in at Alain, the young man shifting his head ever so slightly as she went for a punch right to the nose first thing, which followed into Alain continually dodging or just tapping away Hilda's punches or kicks… and it was obvious she was actually _trying _to inflict some form of harm with how fast her limbs were moving.

"Is nobody going to stop them?!" Ange said, and once more she was looked at like _she _was the weird one in the situation.

"Those two are always like that. Just leave it be, Hilda'll calm down in a minute. Not like she'll get a clean hit in." Rosalie said, waving a hand as if to just brush it aside, Chris nodding.

"And if he gets hit, then Alain brought it on himself, and he knows it." Chris said, holding up a finger. "And despite how she acts Hilda doesn't hate him that much."

"Those two kids are just the type who "get along" by getting on each other's nerves." Zola remarked, giving a laugh. "It's just that right now it's stilted more towards dislike. And for me it is _quite _the deal of fun to be had because of it! One of these days they'll probably get it out of their systems in bed rather than with their fists."

"Captain, please not now." Salia grumbled, getting another laugh out of Zola, Rosalie and Chris squirming where they stood a bit. "You're worse than he can be…"

"Seriously… what is wrong with these people?" Ange muttered, bringing a hand to her face.

"Alright let's call it off now! Other people need some turns, so don't hog the mat." Ersha blew on a whistle, bringing the "spar" to a halt, Hilda huffing as he pulled her fist free of Alain's hand. Though in the second when Alain gave a snicker, Hilda wheeled around and took the chance to clock him right between the legs. The red head scoffed in satisfaction as Alain yelped while his hands went to the spot. Some of the others even winced a bit at his visible pain.

"Below the belt is _too_ cheap!" Alain, his voice a _bit _higher from the pain, got Hilda flipping him off as a response. The boy growled, then chuckled as he cracked his knuckles. "Alrighty then. That got me a bit fired-ow!"

"Nope. That's enough for now." Ersha chopped Alain on the head as she gave him that scolding tone, the young man grumbling as he put a hand to the spot she hit. Of course not helped by his still throbbing ribs.

"Fiiiine."

* * *

"Paperwork… my worst enemy."

Alain stared at the screen of his computer with lidded eyes. What he had to consider the worst part of helping train Ange was this, having to file her progress in training from the starting line until Jill decided there was enough of it.

Now, giant flying dragons, some with powers beyond most conventional technology, he could handle. But having to spend time sitting down and typing away a report about things he really didn't get hyper focused on? Well that was like asking him to raid a bunker with nothing but a stiff herring for a weapon.

In short terms, very difficult if not outright undoable.

"Wyvern can you just take care of this?"

"_If I always helped you in these cases then you'd never learn to do it yourself."_

"Uggghhhhh…"

Alain set his head on the desk as that point he'd heard so many times by now was uttered by the AI, its terminal device angled up on a book. Letting out a sigh and sitting right up, even if he was grumbling about it the entire time, and with some prodding from Wyvern, Alain did get to work. Not much but the sound of his fingers typing on the keyboard for a few minutes.

"I'd rather be doing OS maintenance."

"_Compared to that this should be easy."_

"Quiet."

But then, a knock came to the door, and Alain pumped a fist.

"It's unlocked!" Alain said, though the feeling of possible salvation from the boredom before him was stifled _ever _so slightly when Salia peered in through the door. "Hey Salia, so what brings you around to my little hole huh?"

"For one, making sure you actually do what you have to."

"Geh…"

Salia entered the room fully and peered over his shoulder, Alain grumbling as he looked at the computer again, the girl moving past a bit to get a better look. If paperwork was Alain's worst enemy, then being made to actually do it was second on that list.

"Well at least you're actually trying to make it a real report." Salia then went to one of the two wardrobes the room had, opening it and scanning through it. Alain acted like he shut his eyes, but peeked just enough to see Salia changing out of her uniform and into a night dress of a rather thin nature.

Once she was changed, Salia moved and sat down on Alain's lap as she kept scanning over the report, the boy looking to the side with a lidded look as he tried not to snicker, even while Salia was going over his work and changing things here and there.

"Yet it's still all you… can't you stand to say more than the direct thing?"

"Like Jill cares how it's spelled out, I just gotta get the general point of Ange's performance across is all."

"This is barely more than one page of information."

"Yeah, because it's to the point."

"At least get it done."

"Yeah yeah."

As was what could probably be called a usual thing. Whenever Alain had some kind of paperwork he was required to get done, Salia would be there to make sure he did it right. But since he wasn't really the type who liked that kind of chatter alone, Alain of course was also thinking of other things.

"So, Salia, what's your thoughts about Ange hmm?" Since it was relevant, he figured that was something to bring up.

"Talent or not her attitude is the problem." Salia said, folding her arms as she sighed. "Even if it's just been a day I can tell that much. Either she gets over it and gets in line, or she winds up dead because of denial."

"Eh give it till her first flight, that'll decide things." Alain shifted a bit in his chair, and chuckled when Salia suddenly blushed, the girl grumbling under her breath. "She's kinda like how Hilda was when she showed up when we were kids. Stuck up, refusing to believe she's the same as the rest of us… course Hilda's a different case. _She _wasn't a princess whose Norma nature was kept hidden for sixteen years."

"A princess huh?" Salia murmured, leaning back to press into Alain a bit, glancing at him as she did. "You're not gonna go for her, are you?"

"Pff, hell no." Alain put a hand on Salia's head, eliciting a deeper blush from her. "I can at least say for sure she ain't my type. She's got a nice body but that personality just ain't the kind I'd mesh with no matter what. Someone else might… hmm, maybe Tusk? Though I haven't seen him in years."

"Who?"

"Nobody special, just an old friend." Alain's response didn't answer the question at all, though Salia just sighed. He wasn't going to answer that one clearly for some reason, that much was obvious. "So, this report look good enough to you?"

"Hmm… yeah, that's presentable enough." Salia leaned forward as she gave the report the look over, Alain shutting an eye as he snickered a bit at how the thin fabric of the night dress hid absolutely nothing. "Alain I hear you doing that laugh… also can you really not help yourself?"

"Not my fault you have a nice ass." Alain wrapped his arms around Salia's waist and pulled her back in, the girl shuddering a bit as he put his chin on her shoulder. "And besides who's the girl who got changed into this thin night dress and put said nice ass on my lap hmm? Can't blame me for appreciating it in that case, now can you?"

"Pervert…"

"Unashamed and proudly so!" By now Alain's hands were starting to wander, but despite her muttering Salia wasn't in any way trying to resist, quite the opposite, of anything actually moving to make it easier for Alain to play around a bit. "And this is why we keep saying you need to be more honest Salia. Your body is being a lot more honest with me right now than your mouth is."

"This is just… for stress relief." Salia spoke out between small moans as Alain touched at her chest and rear, the young man rolling his eyes at that wording for it.

"Suuure." But he didn't fully go against it. _"She's still unaware of how loose lipped she gets in bed huh? Not that it's too bad of a thing… peh, how much longer is she gonna keep acting like I don't know though? That's what really bothers me. Seriously I keep saying she can be more honest if she wants to…"_

"B-Alain… slow down a bit you're…"

"I know what I'm doing Salia." Alain punctuated the point by lighting nipping Salia on the ear, which made her suddenly jump a bit in his arms. "Ya' still like it there huh? So… should we move to the bed now or do you actually like this kind of position?"

"Geez… you're too aggressive sometimes." Salia said, Alain smirking since the blush on her face said plenty. "The bed… it'd be hard to do it like this."

"See, doesn't hurt to be honest does it?" Alain shoved the chair back to the edge of the bed, Salia yelping from the sudden move.

"Don't do that with a swivel chair! That's dangerous!"

"Pff, not like it was too far." Alain then laughed when Salia gave him a pout, the girl grabbing him and pulling him off the chair and onto the bed, winding up with Salia over Alain as he kept laughing. "Loosened up a bit Lieutenant?"

"Sometimes you're _too _loose."

"Well it's why we keep each other in check then yeah?"

Words that could be said to embody Arzenal. One part rigorous life of training and fighting, other part free living and doing as one pleased. For the likes of Alain and Salia that kind of life was what they'd always known… so when compared to Ange, it certainly made sure her "initiation" would be tumultuous.


	5. Chapter 4: A Calm Before a Storm

Rondo in the Endless Sky

**Chapter 4: A Calm Before a Storm**

It had now been a week since Ange's arrival at Arzenal, and that meant it was also time for Alain to give his own report in on the matter. As impromptu as it could probably be, the "meeting" was in the hangar, the mechanics repairing some recently returned para-mails, while Alain sat on a nearby forklift, looking bored as Jill listened to Emma, the human officer who oversaw Arzenal, went over the file. Judging by her ever slightly shifting face, Alain's penchant for colorful commentary was no doubt making it tricky for the woman to keep a cool expression on.

Which as it should probably be said, Alain's "personal touches" were longer than the actual content of the report itself, even if Salia had reviewed it beforehand. She couldn't stop him from going back and throwing them in.

"Her basic fitness, reflexes, combat adaptability, her understanding of military theory – She's above average in all areas… comments about her personality aside." Emma glanced at Alain with a look in her eyes that was outright scolding him for the fact he didn't keep things terse in said report, though the young man merely waved a hand as he kept fiddling with Wyvern's terminal.

"She's impressive. Normally it takes this long for a rookie to get a handle on basic maneuvering, but she's moved onto advanced drills this quickly." Jill said, taking the papers back and looking them over herself.

"For a Norma, anyway." Emma said. Alain and Jill didn't show a _visible _reaction to the blatantly and slightly scornful statement. The two women saluted, and split off, Alain jumping from his perch and following after Jill.

"And as you said here, her talent as a Para-mail pilot is noteworthy." Jill said, Alain giving a shrug.

"At least it's not making things too hard for her. Not like it doesn't help the less kind members of Garm are being hard as rocks on her." Alain said, Jill chuckling as she reached into her pocket, pulling out the same ring that Alain had seen with Ange's reports.

When the two stopped, they were in a darkened portion of the hangar, mostly full of containers with spare components for para-mails in them, but nestled in there, with a ragged tarp thrown over it, was a para-mail that looked like it hadn't seen repairs in years. Covered edge to edge in soot and dust, with dents and gashes across the plating, and colors dulled to a matte grey.

"You're seriously thinking about pulling this hunk of junk out? Thing's been a pile of useless bolts ever since it crashed four years ago when Salia tried to fly it." Alain, to mark his point, hopped onto the platform the para-mail was on and kicked it, causing the frame to shudder and groan under the blow. "Then again… there is that ring."

"Exactly. Doesn't really matter who has it, so long as someone is capable of it. Though Ange may just be the kind of pilot needed to handle this rowdy little horse."

"Suuuure." Alain rolled his eyes at that. Not out of disinterest, he knew enough about this machine and its history to know that if it _was _active, it would be a good thing. But that wasn't _why _he showed a clear degree of exasperation at Jill's words. _"It's been ten years since then, and she's as hung up about this thing as ever…"_

* * *

Mealtimes in Arzenal were, simply put, simple and some of the few times of leisure afforded to the Norma. Morning, midday, and evening were set aside for meals with exceptions for squads sent out to sortie at that time, which itself function on a rotational process day by day, both to ensure proper flight times for pilots and to make sure one squadron wasn't exceeding another in terms of action, especially since such actions meant how much one got paid.

It just happened to be that Garm Squadron and Alain were a bunch of registered aces who had the skills to rack up the number of kills that put them up at the top of the board. And as the first squadron, Garm was a priority deployment unit if an engagement went sour and another unit had to clear out of the space, meaning they tended to fly even more often than others.

And it was about this time of day as well that Alain had observed Ange had clearly disliked the least, as yet again, he was catching her looking annoyed at the standard meal meant solely to meet nutritional requirements in front of her. Granted cooking duties also shifted around and today was simply not a day with a crew who cared much about making something overall more than actually edible and not utterly offensive to the tongue.

"And it's why on days like this I also buy food from the mall." Alain said so as he shoved a large hamburger into his mouth, tearing a suitably sized chunk out of it. "The only cooking I say is worth it is Ersha's."

"Oh please, you're embarrassing me when you say that. I'm far from the best cook here." Ersha's humble reply got her a look from Alain and Vivian, the two people who without a doubt liked her cooking the most bar none. "And besides you always eat a lot Alain, you've had a large appetite since we were little, and it's only gotten bigger since!"

"It's not that big." Said the young man in question, as next to him was a stack of about four _more _burgers with the wrappers for the another five on his empty food tray.

In response, Salia put a hand to her face.

"Alain your appetite is anything _but _normal. How do you even burn all of that?" Salia said, Alain shrugging as he finished the burger in his hand and got to another.

"Man I wish I could eat as much as Big Bro does!" Vivian laughed as she waved back and forth in her chair, Ersha patting the younger girl's head even as Salia shook hers. She dread the thought of two people with that kind of appetite existing, and Vivian was _already _close enough to that.

"And upcoming incident here." Alain flicked his head forwards, the other three turning to match the direction. Arriving just then were Hilda, Chris, and Rosalie. It was those three who over the past week, through no help of some prodding from Zola, acted harder on Ange than others… though in some regards that was mostly Hilda.

As for Ange herself, she didn't pay much mind to what was around her for much. She just sighed as she looked at the excuse of food in front of her. As a princess she was far more used to high class, incredibly well-made meals formed out of the best that was on offer. She couldn't understand one bit how all the Norma here were able to eat this kind of food without trouble.

The past week, to say the least, hadn't been endearing her to them. She was adapting to the training, yes. She'd gotten a handle on flying quickly once she had a feel for it, and she was even finding her physical skills were improving with every tiresome exercise and sparring match that ended with her back on a mat. Didn't mean she _liked _that of course. It was more like she did it because there wasn't anything else _to _do.

She'd have at least preferred if there was _some _form of recreational activity she was familiar with around. Granted more out of her own whims she tended not to leave her room when she had the choice to. She didn't plan to stay long. If she could _just _get a message out then, the girl hoped, she could get out of his hellish place before anything too bad happened.

After all, in her mind at least, there was no way she was a Norma. Ange thought that maybe there was just some kind of mistake… if something was sorted out properly then she could just return home and back to what she knew, right? And maybe she _hadn't _seen her mother die. The hospitals in Misurugi were top of the line, she had been saved from her wounds and Ange just didn't know it yet.

The she could just put this all behind her and carry on with her life as it was… mostly. She knew what had happened, and some of that couldn't be changed. But somewhere in there Ange was hoping it could work out. At least she was hoping it would. It felt better to think that was possible than to think of remaining here around people who spent part of their time railing on her or just acting unpleasant.

"Well well, if it isn't Princess." Ange just sighed as Hilda strolled over with Rosalie and Chris. The read head had beyond a doubt been her main tormentor over the past week. Ange wasn't sure if it was because Zola, who Hilda was always hovering around, clearly showed some level of interest in her that Ange _did not _like. Or, maybe it was something else she did not, nor did she care, to know. "You're so good at everything and yet you're picky about food? How did you survive a week with a mood like that huh?"

"You'd better eat up, or you won't be able to fight when the _real _test happens." Rosalie went to reach for Ange's tray when a balled-up aluminum wrapper bounced off the back of her head. One quick look over to the source showed Alain pulling a hand back, giving a narrowed look _clearly _telling the three _not _to make a scene. Rosalie looked away with a face that said she got the message, though Hilda just, of course, shot Alain the middle finger.

Which he, also of course, returned in kind.

"How can you even eat that stuff? It doesn't taste any good at all." Ange was of course speaking from the experience of a person used to better meals. Not like that much would be afforded to the Norma.

"Oh? One week and this still isn't good enough for you is it?" Hilda's remark was dry, but that wasn't to say others weren't angry. Chris and Rosalie glared at Ange with clear annoyance, and others in the same area overhearing all of this didn't look much different either.

Alain had been about to intervene but Salia had made him stay put by way of a tight hold on one of his wrists. He clearly only obeyed the wordless order because he felt like it. As much as his own impulses kicked in, Alain was as riled up as anyone else at Ange's attitude.

"Oh get off your high horse!" Rosalie swiped up her cup and went to throw the contents at Ange. Ange just dodged to the side, the water splashing onto the pillar behind her. Though Rosalie didn't wait to just grab Ange by her jacket. "You…!"

"Cut it out Rosalie. Besides, we've got Trigger staring at us. You don't want him cutting in, right." Hilda's remark got Rosalie to back down, and the dull look Alain was shooting them didn't help. It felt downright accusatory. "But here's a warning for you, Princess. This isn't the same world you came from. Your First Flight. _That _will be what'll get you to understand what Arzenal is really like. If you don't figure it out by then, you're dead."

Ange left without a word, even a bit of a huff to it. As Ange got glares, Rosalie yelped when she got smacked on the back. She snapped around and yelled again when Alain seemingly just _appeared _behind her.

"What the… how did you?! Alain what was that for?!" Rosalie was not helped when she got a tap on the forehead.

"For keeping up a problem." Alain then turned the tap into a light flick, then glancing at Hilda. "Look I don't like her as much as anybody else does, but maybe the cut petty bitch routine, you two especially? It's not gonna get anywhere if you just keep convincing her she's right to keep acting like one herself."

"But she started it!"

"No, actually, that was you two. You were just dumb enough to actually get mad about her response. It's been a week, I think we're _past _the hazing period. Now it's just making sure she actually gets in line before it gets her killed. Or someone else for that matter."

"Awe, is the Ace of Aces going soft? What, you get charmed by the Princess's looks or something?" Hilda's tone was mocking. Alain just sighed.

"I just don't wanna see anybody die for no reason, that's all. That applies to everybody, even the ones I don't like that much. Or the ones who don't like me." Alain slid past Hilda, the girl clicking her tongue. "Hey Ersha, I'm gonna head to the mall. Wanna see if Jasmine has anything new in for the daycare kids?"

"I just finished, so let's. I promised them some new things too, so it's perfect." Ersha grabbed her tray and went to Alain's side. As they left, Hilda sighed and sat down with a heavy move. She put her irritation out on her food as she shoveled it in.

"Why do you even dislike Alain? You weren't nearly this bad towards him when we were kids." Rosalie said, Hilda just giving a huff. "Come on. I know he can be an ass but, like, so are a lot of people here."

"It's not like he means anything bad anyway." Chris added, Hilda glancing at the meeker girl. "You know he picks at people to try and make them think a bit, right? He's a lot nicer than you give him credit for."

"Have you two forgotten that time he broke one of my Para-mail's wings shoving me out of the way of a perfect shot?"

"That was because you broke formation and didn't see the Schooner coming up behind you. It's not his fault his machine has more torque behind it." Chris said, Hilda clicking her tongue.

"Yeah and Zola even chewed you out over that one. Not the best thing to hold against him." Rosalie said, Hilda slamming her fork down.

"And what if it's just because I don't like him? I swear if it wasn't for Zola I bet you two would be in his bed just like Ersha and Salia!" Hilda's growling remark was, surprisingly, met with the other two girls giving somewhat thoughtful looks. They were actually considering the idea of it! "Are you two kidding me?!"

"Don't act like you haven't thought about it! I've heard the stories from some of the other's who have!" Rosalie said, "Besides those books some of the others make just won't do."

"Kinda wish I had my camera now. Some girls would've paid good for shots of that cold expression he had." Chris put a hand to her chin. Hilda sighed again.

She'd almost forgotten Chris basically ran a racketeering gig selling photos of Alain to some of the Norma. It had surprisingly become a good source of extra income where a bad sortie would make one fall short. The wonders of a society built on pure capitalism.

"But, back on the point. _Aside _from his usual sarcastic jabs and his attitude, what has Alain really _done _that makes you not like him? C'mon, it can't be because he's a better pilot. Everyone knows anyone who thinks like that is just being petty." Rosalie said, picking at her tray. She _was _in fact genuinely curious about this topic. "Because I don't even think he gets it sometimes."

"I just don't like him, that's all." It was blatant Hilda wasn't being honest. But she didn't feel a need to give anything more than that, and Rosalie seemed willing to drop it from there. _"It's what he represents… I can't acknowledge that kind of thing, because it'd mean everything I've done till now was pointless."_

* * *

Considering the size of Arzenal and it's purpose, ages ago during it's founding, an economic system of it's own had been put into place. It was almost ironic considering the nature of the Mana Human society, but those who had drafted the plans of the program had felt leaving the Norma some level of autonomy when their fate was to die fighting was at least marginally appropriate.

They received payment for their services in combat, and were free to spend that money on whatever their desired, within the bounds of reason and what could be seen as "property" within the rules.

Granted that also meant there was only _one _place to do so: The Jasmine Mall. Run by the woman who in her younger days had herself been the commander of Arzenal, Jasmine, the location that took up an entire portion of Arzenal's planning structure was a one-stop shop for, quite literally, everything.

Jasmine had gone and coined the tagline "We sell everything from brassieres to heavy artillery", and that statement was _not _an exaggeration. It was both a place for the Norma to buy clothes or various hobby items like books and games, better furnishings for their dorms. Or to exercise their one little bit of extra freedom with the customization of their Para-mails. New armaments, improved armor patterns, requisitions to the mechanical teams to improve things like internal mechanics or systems to better suit one's preferences.

Hell, if one wanted to go even further, _people. _If one had the money for it, they could "buy out" another Norma and take hold of whatever rights they had and whatever property they themselves owned. Not many did this, mostly because it was outrageously expensive, but also because the majority of Norma had the sense to _not _do to themselves what the Humans were doing to them. The ones who did usually got sideways glances and quiet mutters directed towards them.

Across the mall you had Norma going about their business. Some lingering among the rows of hobby items like books and such ilk, some blowing their free time in the arcade center, and others checking out the latest clothing options. It wasn't like they spent _all _of their time wearing uniforms every single day and night after all. Somewhere in the midst of that, Alain and Ersha were easy to spot going about their business.

"Hmm… Alain, what do you think would work for Holly and Kira?" Ersha turned to the young man who as per the norm for him was tapping away on Wyvern's terminal device as he leaned against the wheeled basket they were using. Ersha let out a chuckle since he was basically glued to the device half of the time. Alain pocketed the item and gave a hum to the question. At least he was paying attention.

"Holly likes books so we should grab her a couple new ones of that series she likes. Kira… hmm, what _does _she like? Poor kid's been quiet since she got here. Still don't know much about her." Alain let out a sigh, and Ersha nodded. It was a sad part of their reality many of the Norma brought to Arzenal were small children, and many weren't quick to adjust to being separated from their parents. Often times it took years before some of the Norma children moved on from it. And that wasn't always the case at times.

"Well then, how about when we visit them later, we take some time to talk with her and see? We could bring her here and let her pick some things out after taking them outside to play." Ersha may have been no older than eighteen, but her words and air was that of a well learned mother. She'd always had an affinity for children even when she was younger, and she adored the younger children always brought to Arzenal like they were her own. Though ironically her "Swan" nickname came from the fact when she _was _younger, she'd also had a rather fierce temper. And despite her pretty looks Alain knew from _personal_ experience Ersha could lay out half of Arzenal and barely break a sweat.

"_Maybe Mama Bear would be a better nickname." _Alain chuckled at the thought. Ersha placed a few more items she picked out from the shelves and gently added them to the cart. As the two veered off from that section to head for the books, Alain came to a stop.

Just off at another segment of the mall were the rookie trio. Coco and Miranda were of course familiar with the Mall, though Ange hadn't even bothered to check it out once in the week she'd come here. Coco had a bundle of papers in one hand and a pen in the other, handing them off to Ange.

"Hey Ersha, gimme a minute, I'm gonna see what this is about." Alain tapped the cart off, Ersha nodding as she took it to keep up. He made sure to pay particular attention as he got closer to the rookie trio.

"So how did you shop outside?" Alain almost wanted to sigh at Coco's question. The young girl had always been painfully curious about the world outside of Arzenal. She'd always _beg _for him to tell her what he saw while he was "scouting", as was the usual excuse for his monthly excursions out of Arzenal and to the mainland. And she'd come to downright idolize Ange, both for her talents but also for being a possible source of that knowledge she wanted so badly.

"I got whatever I wanted." Ange said, the two young girls both looking surprised. "I could have anything I wanted and be anything I wanted. There's no inequality, violence, or discrimination. Nothing bad ever happens. That's our Mana-filled world."

"_Why are we here then?" _Alain felt himself gag as Ange spoke.

"So there really is a magic nation!" Coco however was completely delighted. Alain wanted nothing more than to hit Ange across the face. Multiple times.

"Sooo, don't mind me jumping in here!" Alain slid right in, Ange glancing at him. "I couldn't help but overhear and, well, you don't _honestly _still believe all of that do you?"

"I doubt somebody like _you _could understand." Ange's expression showed the same amount of annoyance as her voice. Alain only chuckled like he was used to that sort of look being directed towards him.

Over the past few days, the former royal had found herself deciding that if there were anybody she was going to find herself bearing a grudge against, it would be Arzenal's sole male Norma. She hated the humiliation she felt remembering how easily he threw her around during troop sparring, and she could _still _hear the snickering of Hilda and her two sidekicks in her mind. What baffled her most was how someone like him could even exist. She didn't know if he even _was _a Norma or if it was some lie. Not to mention, she thought, what sort of man would lower himself to _sleeping _with a Norma?

"Is that so? Try me." He dared while folding his arms. By now Ersha had noticed the scene too, and a crowd was beginning to pile around too.

Ange fumed, not able to _believe _the nerve the young man had to dare talk in such a manner to a royal of Misurugi. He was just a lowly Norma, what right did he have?

"_Our _world is one of peace." Ange brought a hand to her chest. By now the crowd was getting a lot bigger. "We want for not and fear for not. There's no such thing as suffering, poverty, or war. All of that prosperity and peace is blessed to us by the Light of Mana. But that is something your Norma could never understand. You reject the Light of Mana with your violent, savage natures. I find it no wonder you're all kept far from civilization. If you were loose, you'd destroy our whole world overnight!"

"What a bitch!"

"Just who does she think she is?"

"Oh, because we can help how we were born." Alain had a crick in his brow, as irritated as anybody else. Coco and Miranda had hurt looks directed at Ange. "So, you really think we're _all _born as these violent, savage people all because we're Norma? Miranda and Coco have been nothing but nice to you since you arrived. Do you really, _honestly, _think such nice, sweet little girls deserve to be here _just _because they're Norma? What about the daycare kids? All the toddlers and babies torn away from their parents for no reason other than being Norma? Do _they _deserve this? What did they _do _to deserve it?"

"Yes. As Norma it is inherent to you to be such a way. How you act outwardly changes nothing." Ange was getting vindictive. Even as the other two rookies looked at her with sad eyes, it didn't deter here. She _was not _here to play nice with a bunch of Norma.

"You're a Norma to, need I remind you?" Alain stepped forward until he was right in Ange's face.

While he wasn't overly tall, Alain was only upper average, Ange's small frame meant he could easily loom over here. But Ange didn't flinch as she stared up at him. She refused to let herself be intimidated by someone like him, who _she _only saw as a brute. She wouldn't stoop to the level of these _things _around her.

"So, Princess, why are _you _here?" he asked.

"Obviously there's been some mistake." Ange said, showing the paper in her hand. "As soon as I finish this and send the letter out…"

"You'll still be here." Alain countered before Ange could finish. "It's not gonna matter who you send that letter out to. Look, I saw what happened in the lunchroom. Hilda may have been a bitch about it, but she's not wrong. Like it or not, this is how things are. So, either shape up, or get bent. We're going to get sorties sooner or later. And I'm not going to allow any of my friends to die all because _you _can't accept reality."

"Alright, I think that's we've had enough sparring for today." Ersha spoke with a clap, the crowd quickly starting to disperse. "Alain, we still need to finish shopping remember? How about we also get a cake for Clara's birthday?"

Alain clicked his tongue and turned around. Ange stuck up her nose and did the same. The sooner she got this letter penned and sent the better. The sooner she could stop having to deal with these people and put all of it behind her. Coco gave a farewell, but Ange paid it no mind as she stormed off.

"Don't let it get to you. If she actually gets it through her head and adjusts, I'm sure it'll be fine." Alain put a hand on Coco's head and lightly ruffled her hair. He at least wanted to cheer the girl up since him jumping in had just soured things. He knew she'd just wanted to be helpful. "How about this, after your First Flights, I'll treat ya both to something good here. Anything you want."

"Really?" Coco looked cheered up immediately, and Alain nodded.

"Anything, so long as it's not super expensive. Now you two get going. Never know when a sortie could get called so rest up."

"You need to be less obvious when you're mad." Miranda said, a bit of a teasing tone in her voice.

"I wasn't mad. Just making sure she wasn't filling your heads with stupid stuff." Alain said, even if it was straight up lying. Not that it fooled anybody. Ersha just put a hand to his shoulder. He relaxed rather quickly once she did.

"But it sounds so wonderful doesn't it?" Coco was still starstruck of course. "A magic society where nothing goes wrong! It's like in some of those manga we've read!"

"It does sound nice." Alain _tched _as he folded his arms. For all the things Ange had said he knew better. That "perfect" society was propped up by making the Norma fight for them, and any possible discourse among themselves was rabidly crushed so as to preserve whatever status quo there was. He hated the very notion of it. "But she should stay focused on what's here. Someone might get killed if she keeps that attitude up."

"And there's the line I was looking for! Always acting like a jackass but you're still a good boy at heart!" The voice of an older woman made Alain turn. Jasmine, the owner of the mall and former Commander of Arzenal a decade prior. And a woman who, to this day, routinely acted as a pain in Alain's tail since she used the fact she'd known him his entire life as pretty hard leverage to mess with him in all kinds of ways.

"What, can't be concerned for my wing mates?" Alain waved off Miranda and Coco as they left, turning back to the older Norma. Ersha had started browsing through a few clothing items in the meantime.

"Oh not at all, good kids like you are a dime a dozen in this place." Jasmine knelt down and pat her dog, Vulcan, on the head. The dog's tail gave a happy wag. With a gesture, the animal went over to Alain, and he returned it by giving the dog a scratch on the chin. "Besides, if there's anyone who can keep people alive it's you. The more Norma you keep from biting it, the more money _I _make when they come here!"

"Can't even compliment me without being a money grubber about it, as usual." Alain stood from petting Vulcan and gave Jasmine a bemused grin. The old woman just chuckled as she then flicked a coin his way, the young man smoothly catching it. "This is…?"

"A little good luck token. Maybe if you've got that on you, that little hope of yours will come true. Not that I don't wanna see her wake up as much as you do." Jasmine gave a breath. The aged woman had seen many a Norma come and go in her time. Despite her blasé attitude, she did care. Heck she wouldn't provide the services she did if it wasn't the case. "Jill also wanted me to pass a bit to you. She wants you in the command center in a bit. They're getting readings for a possible incursion."

"And they're gonna send Garm. Got it, thanks. I'll drop by later to talk about some mods I want done to Wyvern." Alain left with Ersha so they could finish up their errands, Jasmine giving another wave. He then opened his hand to check the coin. It was an odd thing. Arzenal didn't really use change and it wasn't like the Mana Humans used money, so he had no clue where it could've come from. But flipping it over from the faded head of some person on one face, the other side was embossed with an eagle, though age had almost made the thing fade and any text with it was totally illegible. "This is supposed to be a lucky charm? Heh, dammit Jasmine you have the worst sense of humor."

"That was your dad's by the way!" Jasmine suddenly called out, Alain turning. "He was always fiddling with that y'know? You're eighteen now, figured it'd be a good late gift!"

"Something of dad's? Could it have…" Alain gave a sigh and pocketed the coin, pulling up his scarf to hide the rather wide smile that was coming to his face now. Ersha was giving him an approving look thanks to the rare expression. "Appreciate it Jasmine!"

* * *

"Mobius One reporting from orders, what's the deal now?" Alain downright barged into the Command Center as the door slid open. The space was simple enough, steel grey with a wide viewing area and command consoles manned by the three Operators, Pamela, Hikaru, and Olivier. Alain liked to refer to them as the Bridge Bunnies.

Jill was seated at the head console of course, and standing near her was Emma. And the human officer did not look pleased at the casual way the young captain strolled in, much less his manner of speech.

"Captain Alain, would it bother you that much to show a bit more decorum?" Emma said, adjusting her glasses.

"Does it make any difference how I act? I follow my orders like a good little soldier, lemme talk how I want." Alain pocketed his hands as he tilted his head to the side. Emma gave a grating sighed and pinched her nose, then looking to Jill.

"Commander, I still don't understand the need for him to even be in such a situation. Remind me, what's even the _purpose _of Mobius Squadron existing if it only has one member?"

"Mobius Squad exists as an Independent Vanguard. He handles autonomous operations and special ops others aren't equipped to handle." Jill said, taking a puff from her lit cigarette. "Plus the Wyvern is a unique machine. We send him on those scouting excursions every month for a reason. Now, Supervisor, if you wouldn't mind I have things to discuss with him. Please kindly save the questions."

"Fine. Still doesn't make sense to me."

"Do I need to mention _that?" _Alain gave Emma a wide smirk, and the bespectacled woman's face went reed. She hurriedly shook her head. The others just wondered what on earth Alain was even talking about that even did so.

"Anyway." Jill's sharp word got everyone to attention. "We're getting an alert for a coming incursion, and we'll be sending out Garm."

"I guessed as much. Want me to keep tabs on Ange while we're up?"

"No. You're not going to participate when they sortie."

"… I'm sorry, what?"

The bridge girls were looking at Jill with confused gazes. Alain was just a lot more open in showing his confusion as he leaned to the side. He'd been attached to Garm to begin with so Jill suddenly spouting she was grounding him for a potential sortie when three inexperienced rookies would be in the air, much less one who was a potential risk, didn't make a lot of sense to any of them.

"Ahem, if you'd allow me." Emma may not have been as well versed in things, but even she saw the oddness of this. "Commander, you attached Captain Alain to Garm so that he would sortie with them, yes? Why suddenly ground him? Despite his…_ attitude _he's done nothing warranting a lock of his deployment rights."

"It's not a lockdown. I'm merely saying he's not launching with them today. I want to see how Zola directs the rookies without a tag along to keep things easy for them." Jill snubbed her smoke out on the ashtray next to her. Emma just gave her a look. The logic wasn't even that sound, of anything it was more like Jill just _wanted _to see if things would go wrong in some manner.

"Are you kidding?!" Alain was a lot more open about his displeasure of course. "Jill what the hell? Zola is a good Captain, probably one of our best, but it's their First Flight! Coco and Miranda won't cause an issue, but Ange could! She's _far _from sorted out! What if she tries to run?"

"The Para-mail won't get far with the amount of fuel it'd have. She'd just crash into the ocean some klicks out. Not like she can do anything beyond that." Jill tented her hands. The cold way she rebuffed Alain's aggravation only bothered him more. "Those are my orders Captain. You will remain grounded during this mission, understood? You have permission to wait here in the Command Center and observe."

"_I too would advise against this action." _Wyvern's voice carried through a speaker on the command console. Jill's eyes went to it as the screen changed to the same patterns that showed in the Wyvern's cockpit whenever the AI spoke. _"A tactical forecast of the current makeup of Garm Squadron leads me to advise to not ground my pilot during this mission. The mental state of Pilot Ange is too unstable to be considered reliable."_

"I don't need your input, stupid machine." Jil whacked the console with her prosthetic, not like it would do much. "My orders stand regardless of some pointless forecast. Alain, you're grounded for this sortie, understood?"

"Tch, fine." Alain of course wouldn't go against orders. Jill knew that… but she also knew he was impulsive. She had to make sure she had an eye on him if he tried to do something now that he was riled up.

"_He'll be a problem if I'm not careful with him." _Jill thought. Alain was a good soldier, but he wasn't nearly as hardened as she would have liked. She waited too long for this chance to let some overly sentimental kid screw it up. If she was going to make Ange their sword, then the girl needed to be hardened as quickly as possible. A few more deaths being on the tab for that expense wouldn't make a difference.

The door sliding open again wasn't planned though. This time Ange strolled in, a letter in hand. Alain had a face that said he didn't want to be dealing with this now.

"And just what is this?" Jill took the paper as Ange handed it to her. She had to admit, the former princess had good handwriting. Better than Alain's chicken scratch excuse for it that was for sure. The blue haired young man seemed to somehow sense Jill had thought that little insult with the look he gave her.

"It's an invocation of my entitlements as royalty, and a petition for my immediate release." Ange said. Alain brought a hand to his face while Emma looked no less impressed than he did. "Please have this delivered to the heads of all states!"

"You're seriously going through with it?" Alain said, leaning on the main console. Ange shot him a glare. "I told you it won't work. You can't possibly think it will?"

"Of course it will! As the First Princess of Misurugi I still retain special rights! I had good relations with those in other nations as well. I would imagine _someone _would have enough respect to see this error for what it is." Ange's insistence wasn't impressing anybody. They all knew by this point it was likely any record of "Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi" had been wiped from any database the mana humans had.

Of course, some of it was still today's animosity. In part Ange wanted to spite Alain. She was confident enough in this she thought she could stick it to him by seeing this work. It was simple enough to her… but like when she arrived, nobody looked impressed by her excuses.

"You still don't get it?" Emma said. "I may have my problems with Norma but at least most of them behave. Even this one knows when to hold his tongue and not act so foolishly."

"I appreciate the compliment Supervisor." Alain put his arms behind his head, Emma just huffing at him. "Also, Commander, permission to enact a bit of corporal punishment on Recruit Ange?"

"Permission granted."

"Huh?"

And next Ange knew, a stinging pulse shot right up her side. Alain pulled his elbow back as Ange gasped from the sudden blow to side.

"What… the hell was that for?!" Ange held her now throbbing side as she glared at Alain. He just gave her a stern, yet oddly not harsh gaze.

"I'm going to say it again Ange: Get it through your skull. Things don't work here the same way they do the mainland. Look, your team is about to be deployed since we got an incursion warning. If you don't get your head straight, or _at least _have the sense to _listen _to someone, then people, including you, might _die. _Do you get that? To my annoyance I can't go out to make sure that doesn't happen."

Alain shot his eyes to Jill, who just took a drag on a fresh smoke.

"What difference does it make? You're just Norma." Ange muttered. That remark of course brought offense with it. Alain outright growled as a fist curled up, and the operators didn't look any less ready to _not _clock Ange themselves. Alain drew in a breath and let it go, his hand relaxing.

"Commander, I'm going to ask you to reconsider grounding me."

"Sorry, but the order still stands." Jill didn't look at Alain as he turned to her. The young man grumbled again. Out of the corner of her gaze, Jill could see how he was shaking from trying to keep himself calm.

"Well if my squaddie is being a problem, I should deal with her myself, right?" Zola coming in did not _at all _make the situation feel lighter. The woman was dressed only in a thin robe and not to mention downing drink from a flask. "I do apologize for how thick headed she is. Guess my girls' hazing didn't work much."

"She's been poorly educated. This is on both you and Alain." Jill said. Zola gave a salute while Alain clicked his tongue. Which earned him a smack on the shoulder from Zola. Even she occasionally had an issue with his attitude when it cropped up, even if she could see he was aggravated for whatever reason she didn't know.

"I'll be sure to see to it she's more properly brought up from here." Zola gave a hum, glancing from Ange then to Alain. She couldn't help but smirk as she caught Alain looking at her, his response to just roll his eyes. He _was _still a teenager, she couldn't fault him for peeking a _bit _when she was wearing what she was.

"Captain Zola, I know you Norma don't care much for decorum, but would it kill you to arrive wearing something half decent? Compared to what you normally wear." Emma adjusted her glasses as she gave Zola the look over. The veteran Norma just laughed.

"Well if it bothers you so much Supervisor, I could just take it off right here." Zola's dry comment came with Emma reeling a bit. Even Alain stifled laugher at it. For all the animosity he still found himself laughing when Zola took shots at people like that.

Not that many of them had much respect for Emma. As the only human on Arzenal she technically outranked even Jill in the chain of command, but none of the Norma took her presence seriously. She was less an authority figure and more like a glorified babysitter… a bad one at that, considering the things that often happened right under her nose.

"I did have some idea because I'm still riled up but… well, I'm also not in a mood to make Alain angrier than he already is. Seriously Commander, what'd you tell him this time?" Zola's gaze was on Ange a bit, but a glance to the once more peeved Alain made her shrug.

"Zola I'm right here." Alain spoke between his teeth, Zola chuckling at him.

Jill was about to speak, but she got cut off when the phone on the console rang. Emma picked it up, and was silent for a few moments after answering, nodding along as the person on the line spoke. She hung up then looked to Jill.

"That was dispatch. They just confirmed the incursion sight the warning we got was for. They said to ready up and move." Emma said, Jill nodding.

"Well you heard her. Zola, get your squad gathered and go. Alain, stay here and follow the grounding orders." Jill ordered, Zola giving Alain a look as she realized the problem.

"Oh I see! No wonder he's mad. Well, next time Trigger. I'll treat you later to compensate if you want." Zola just got a bored look from Alain that made her laugh. Then she grabbed hold of Ange. "Well this is as good a chance as any to teach you what Arzenal is like. Come on Ange, time for your _real _initiation!"

"Wha-wait, hold on! Unhand me will you?!" Ange's protests carried on as she was yanked out of the command center.

Alain couldn't help but give a huff as he sat down in an open chair at another spot and folded his arms. Of course he wasn't pleased by Jill telling him to stay put on a sortie like this. His hand went into his pocket and found the coin that Jasmine had tossed him. As he ran his thumb on it, now he got why it was so worn… maybe his dad had used fiddled with it when he was stressed like Alain was now.

It at least eased his thoughts a little bit with that. The best he could do was hope for the best now. So, he'd watch, and he would act with what came, and just hope this wouldn't turn out to be the calm before a storm.


	6. Chapter 5: First Flight

_Rondo in the Endless Sky_

**Chapter 5: First Flight**

Arzenal's hangar was abuzz with activity as the various Para-mails belonging to Garm Squadron were being readied. The engineering team worked with absolute efficiency, so used to all of this that it was as methodical as anything else they did. Running among the people moving about to load weapons onto the machines and get supplies readied was Zhao Mei, the young leader of the team.

"Connect all power! Arquebus, Glaive, start engines! Hauser hurry up and mount weapons! Wyvern… wait, what do you mean we're not taking him out?!" Zhao Mei put a hand to her headset as the alert came through. "Jill grounded Alain? For what?... alright fine! At least leave Wyvern on standby in case the situation changes!"

The young Armorer head sighed as she looked across all the Para-mail she cared so much for. She prided herself on the care and maintenance of each one, making sure they were in proper shape to bring their pilots home. It helped when one of them at least had a super smart AI that could give even finer maintenance clues than even a savant like her could find. But she had to wonder… what was Jill thinking with keeping Alain grounded? The order didn't make a lick of sense for her at all.

* * *

With their Para-mails being rolled out to be ready for launch, the girls of Garm Squadron were waiting at the main floor of the launch bay for the clearance to mount and prepare for launch. The PA sounded with the announcement for the incursion. Each member moved off to mount their machines as they were rolled into place on the launch platforms.

"You rookies are in the back. Standard issue Glaives without much more than a basic loadout." Salia spoke to the rookie trio as the squad progressively thinned, pointing off to where she was directing them. "Coco, your's is the first, Miranda the middle, and Ange the furthest one."

"Yes ma'am!" While Coco and Miranda saluted as normal, Ange just gave a huff.

Ange trailed a bit as she followed the other two, her eyes scanning past the large frames of the waiting Para-mails as their riders climbed up on the frames before dropping out of view and into the cockpits waiting for them. She wondered why such crude looking machines existed. They lacked any of the sleekness and elegance she knew the vehicles designed in the Mana nations to have. Though, she figured, affording brutes like the Norma those kinds of things wasn't needed.

She stopped when she got to the one designated for her. In it's Flight Mode the Glaive really did look like some old model of airplane from the days before mankind had been gifted Mana. The flat grey machine didn't have any of the flair the rest of the squadron's machines did. No defining marks like modified armor, signifying color schemes, or notable decals. Its only armaments were a basic assault rifle and sword. Hardly much of anything to write home about.

Ange sighed as she climbed up the revealed steps on the side of the body. When she was on top of the machine, she could clearly make out where its head tucked back in this form as it jutted out ever so slightly. She was almost used to the side entrance used by the simulators, but in this case the hatch opened from below her near the point where the head likely locked to when in it's Destroyer Mode.

Ange dropped in, and as the machine booted up once she attached the plug linked to her suit, which she had to question _why _it was in place to be like some tail, the radio chatter came in clearer through her headset as the monitors in front of her activated.

"_Garm Squadron, respond as appropriate upon first contact."_ The voice of one of the command operators. Ange didn't pay her much mind as she attached her belts. At least these ones were a bit comfier while still leaving her tightly secured.

"_Garm Squadron, acknowledged."_ Zola's reply also followed with her appearing on the right communications monitor. Ange spared it a glance, but her eyes fell forward quickly. The dark sky was spreading out right in front of her. _"Listen up little girls, it's your first battle. You're providing support from the rear. Pick off any who get past us or stragglers that get into your range. Let us Aces handle the big ones and the main group, understood? Don't break from formation and stay calm while responding as necessary. Do as you were taught, and you won't die."_

"_Yes ma'am!"_

Ange was still silent, only focused on the sky in front of her. Maybe this could be a chance, a chance to get out of this hell before it got worse for her. As the front machines all took off in sequence on after another once the all clear was given, this thought stuck with Ange. Once she and the other two were in the air, behind the more experienced pilots in formation, Ange's hands gripped tighter to the controls. The real thing was heavier than she'd expected when pulling it up. The simulator may have been able to mimic the feeling, but it wasn't precise.

"_How do you like a real Para-mail? Heavier than the sims make it out to be huh?" _Zola spoke as if she was reading Ange's mind. _"Be glad these cockpits are nice and sealed, tonight's a chilly one."_

"_Hold on a second, I just noticed. Alai-Trigger didn't launch with us." _Rosalie spoke, and Zola chuckled in reply to her.

"_Commander decided he was going to sit this one out." _Zola chuckled again as some disappointed sighs came from across the line up. Well, aside from Hilda, who's image on the comm screen just looked smug. _"Don't go looking so sad girls. He's watching, so feel free to show off. I know I will."_

"I'm outside." Ange didn't have her comm on so her remark went unheard. But that was where her mind was. She was _outside. _Away from Arzenal. Sure she had no clue where she was, but she was _away. _If she could just find a chance, then maybe she could get away from this… because like she was going to lower herself to actually fighting with these Norma. "Yeah… like I would allow myself that kind of shame."

* * *

As the Bridge Bunnies rattled off mission data and pilot stats Alain leaned back in the chair he'd taken. He'd started rolling that coin between his fingers as he watched the drone feed of Garm as they were on the approach.

"Gravitational fluctuations detected." Pamela said. "Get ready Garm, the singular is near opening.

"_Roger that Control." _Zola responded. _"Garm Squadron, formation Delta-6." _One by one all of the Para-mail took formation in a vaguely arrowhead pattern… all except for one notable Glaive.

"She's gonna run." Alain's voice was almost a growl as he said it. His eyes narrowed as a leg started to bounce. "Jill, I _should _be out there."

"Calm down." JiIl ordered. "If she does, she does. Like I said earlier, her Para-mail won't get far. The battery will die long before she gets anywhere. Either she'll be forced to land on an island or crash on a reef. Whatever the result, we'll retrieved her." The apathy Jill had in her remarks left Alain shocked. Granted his worry was more about Coco and Miranda. From how they'd come to look at Ange, Coco especially, there was no telling what they would do if Ange did something. Quietly, Alain shifted his arm to pull out his terminal, clicking it on as he hid his mouth behind his other hand.

"Wyvern, how far out are they?"

"_A quick calculation places Garm Squadron approximately 80 kilometers South Southwest of Arzenal." _Close enough.

"Don't do anything right now. If Ange gets away during the furball, call Tusk for a retrieval."

"_Understood."_

Alain glanced over to make sure he hadn't been noticed as he placed the terminal back to his belt. He let out a small sigh of relief, all of the attention was still on the drone feed as the others waited for the singular to open up.

"_Unit Ange!" _Zola's sudden broadcast drew attention to the feed. _"Get into an element now!" _Ange held her flight path for _just _a moment as Zola barked at her. It was long enough Alain dared hope she'd follow orders and form up. But, that hope was dashed in an instant as Ange's Glaive veered away from the main group at max speed.

"Unit Ange is breaking away!" Olivier said. "Unit Salia is in pursuit of her."

"Told you so." Alain let out a flat breath. He looked to Jill, the woman giving him a quick glare, and he wisely avoided saying anything else. Right or not, pushing his luck hadn't been why Alain survived for this long. But he was thinking he'd try if anyone but Ange died out there because of this.

* * *

Salia let out a growl as Ange veered away. She turned herself to follow after the girl's Glaive. As the distance closed, Salia tweaked her targeting, her Arquebus's rifle shifting to be aimed at the fleeing Glaive's cockpit.

"Ange stop! The singular could open any instant. Get back into formation now!" Salia's order only got a quiet mutter. Ange wasn't intent on listening, clearly.

"_My name is Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi." _The deserter argued, not even bothering to turn on her camera. _"I am returning to where I belong in the Empire of Misurugi."_

"I warned you." Salia pulled up closer to the Glaive, her systems buzzing as she locked onto the unit. Her finger hovered over the trigger, ready to pull it if she needed to. "If you continue to disobey orders, I _will_ shoot you down."

"_Ms. Ange!" _From 6 o'clock Coco's Glaive came flying over getting between them, obscuring Salia's shot. Salia's console opened a window, showing the young cadet with an ecstatic face. _"Ms. Ange, take me with you!"_

"Coco get out of the way!" Salia barked.

"_Coco what are you doing?!" _Miranda shouted, her own Glaive veering off after ger wingmate.

"_This is such a mess! If Alain was here he'd…" _The realization hit Salia like a slap to the face. If Alain was here, he'd have kept them in line easily. So why did Jill ground him? What was she _planning _with this?

"_You may have said some harsh things but… I want to see the Magic Country!" _How could Coco let her childish whims get to her like this? Salia grumbled as she put a hand to her head. What was she supposed to do now that this was happening? _"I want to see the place that was able to make you look so happy!"_

"_The Singular is opening!" _Pamela's voice from the Command line made Salia look up. The girl's eyes went wide. The sky had become tinted red, beginning to pulse and swell like a bubble, sparking with red lightning.

"It's opening right on top of us?!" Salia looked back to the Glaive's still ahead of her. "You two move now, get out of the way before it opens!"

But her order came just a bit too late. As the sky split open with a resonate boom, a blue streak shot down from it and shot right through Coco's cockpit. The last image of the girl Salia and Ange was Coco's shocked face before the image went pure white. And then nothing but static as her Glaive exploded in a ball of flames.

"_Coco…" _Miranda gasped. _"COCO!" _From the hole in the sky, a swarm of reptilian creatures descended right for them. Most of them were pink and about half the size of a Para-mail, but heading them was a large purple beast who's mass dwarfed their machines. Ange stared up at the things with wide eyes. A combination of just having seen the last moments of a little girl, and now being forced to confront what the Norma was forced to fight, felt like her mind had shattered.

"Just… what is that?" Ange shuddered as she spoke. She didn't want to think she was awake. Because it felt like a nightmare.

* * *

"We've lost Coco's signal!"

"Contact with DRAGON's established! Numbers through. One Galleon-type, and 22 Schooners!"

Alain felt like his blood was running cold. The drone feed had captured it. He'd seen the bolt from the Galleon split through Coco's machine. The image of it going up in flames was sticking in his mind as the radio chatter kept up but felt dull in his head. He had the horrible image in his mind of the unsuspecting girl One of his hands curled into a fist, as tight as it could go. If he wasn't wearing his gloves odds were, he'd have pierced his palm with his nails.

"Pamela, tell Mei to get Wyvern ready! I'm going out there!" Alain was shooting for the door before he knew it. But as he got close, he was stopped dead and slammed to the wall. A metal arm was pressed to his throat. "Jill, don't stop me! Do you want anyone else to die out there today!? One is beyond enough!"

"Your orders are not to participate. Stay put, Captain." Jill increased the pressure as Alain struggled to get free. He felt his lungs burn as his air was cut off, and his vision was already getting spotty. Jill was far stronger than her limber build suggested.

"Don't give me that!" Talking wasn't helping Alain as his breathing got harder. "Are you… really willing to let… them die for no reason?!"

The air in the room got tense. The operators kept their eyes on the readings as combat continued. Emma too looked uneased as Jill remained silent. All of them were thinking it though. Alain wasn't exactly wrong, nor was his line of thinking a bad call. Of anything sending him out to keep the situation from potentially getting worse _would _be the better course of action. The question was if he could make it in time even with Wyvern's known top speeds.

"The results are what they are. You've been here long enough to know that., so follow your damn orders! Zola is more than enough to handle Ange." Something about the way Jill said the phrase sent off a red flag. What was she aiming for? Did she _want _an incident to happen? What was she planning that could be worth an entire squad?!

"Commander, Unit Miranda's armor has been breached by the Schooners!" Hikaru's voice broke the air and eyes turned back to the drone feed. The horrible image of Miranda's Glaive filled it, Schooners swarming the flailing machine and ripping it apart with talons and fangs… and the horrified, pained screaming of the pilot lasting for a few seconds before finally being cut off.

"Miranda! Ngh… dammit Jill let me go!" Alain's struggling stopped quickly. Jill rammed her good fist into his gut _hard, _an unpleasant _thunk _sounding. Alain's vision went hazy within moments, and he slumped forward. Jill moved her metal arm and pulled her fist back, Alain collapsing to the deck.

Jill could feel the shock in the room as she shook her good hand. Everyone'e eyes were on her as she turned. The Bridge girls were quick to turn back to their stations, but Emma was still giving her a disapproving glare.

"Commander, was that necessary?" Emma may have thought the same of Norma as any other Mana human, but even she saw that action as going a bit too far. "I will admit that Captain Alain _was _disrespectful, but I agree with his assessment. We should…"

"Even if he gunned the Wyvern at full throttle in it's Pursuit Mode, the battle would already be over by the time he made it." Jill countered. "And aren't you the one always saying I'm too lenient with him?" Emma turned back to her own screen quietly. She wasn't stupid, but she was easy enough to manipulate thanks to her pride and stubbornness. "Olivier call up medical and have them collect Alain. Also, have them pull a few extra beds out of intensive care."

She could already tell they'd need the things.

Jill sat down in her chair a bit harder than she maybe should have as the girls responded and got busy. She couldn't pass the chance up. She knew how much Alain hated being sidelined, how much he hated seeing people die when he knew he could likely do something about it. But there was a meaning behind this.

"_I need Ange hardened, soon. if I'm to make her the blade for Libertus, than I need her to be molded into what I need. Alain, you're too idealistic. Those ideals, thinking you can save everyone if you just want it hard enough… they'll get you killed." _Jill looked at the ring taken from Ange again. That, to her, was right. Ideals would just get yourself hurt, and at worst, the people around you hurt as well. She'd get that lesson through eventually, is what she thought.

* * *

The last thing Alain remembered as he woke up was the feeling of Jill's haymaker hitting his gut. As he stirred awake, he winced at the flare of pain coming from his gut. As he came too, an unpleasant soreness and a bit of nausea hit him. _"Guess I should count myself lucky it wasn't her prosthetic." _he thought, feeling the resulting bruise. _"Where am I anyway?"_

"And look who woke up." A woman's voice said. "A bit sooner than I hoped… and no blood. That's disappointing." Alain groaned as much out of pain as he did dismay. His vision cleared as he pried his eyes open, finding himself in Arzenal's infirmary. And sitting across from him in the examiner's chair was the cause of his distress. Auburn hair and an all too usual scent of lingering booze, Maggy, Arzenal's chief medical officer watched with an amused look. Beneath her lab coat was a too tight short skirt and red blouse that bared an ample amount of cleavage, an attire Emma had admonished her over on more than one occasion. Not that it made a difference. Maggy was known for a "unique" bedside manner when it came to her patients, that and her talent for getting under a person's skin. Especially in regards to her blood-sniffing fetish that to this day creeped Alain out.

"You alright kid?" Alain looked to his right, relieved to hear he wasn't alone with Maggy. Jasmine was seated at the other side of the bed, Vulcan next to her with his head laying on the cot and giving a whine.

"What happened?" Alain said, pulling himself out of the bed. The mood was different than usual. Maggy usually had too much fun playing the tease with him whenever he found himself in the infirmary.

"Jill knocked you clean out!" Maggy answered.

"I know that!" Alain winced as his stomach flared again. "Where're the others? Are they alright? Just… ow… tell me what happened!"

"The Brig escaped." Jasmine finally answered. "Coco and Miranda are KIA with their units unrecoverable. The others made it back safely, but Ange and Zola are still MIA. From what I understand, Ange panicked in the middle of it, and her unit grabbed onto Zola's. I talked with Hilda, who saw the whole thing, and she said they got sucker punched by the Brig when Zola was trying to get Ange off her. Zola's Arquebus took the brunt of it around the cockpit, so the odds are she's KIA too. We can't be sure about Ange until the retrieval team gets back."

The medbay became quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Alain's body began to shake as his jaw clenched in a snarl. His jaw was clenched tight enough Maggy worried he'd break a tooth or two. Not a fun kind of procedure to go through.

"DAMMIT!" Alain whirled around, his fist slamming into the wall repeatedly. "DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT!"

"Alain, calm down!" Jasmine urged.

"Where's Jill!" Alain demanded.

"Jill has her…"

"Screw her reasons _and _her!" he shouted. "Give me one good reason why I…"

_SMACK_

The slam of Jasmine's palm across his face snapped Alain back to his senses. His breathing returned to normal, but he was still shaking a bit as he grabbed a wrist and clenched his hand. While her personality was more of a doting aunt, Jasmine knew how to handle Arzenal's younger sorts when they got too uppity.

"Alain, cool it and _think _for a few moments." Jasmine barked, Alain letting out a grumble. "Just how much do you actually _know _about Ange?"

"Jasmine, don't you think…" Maggy started.

"I can handle whatever punishment Jill hands out." The older woman countered. "And anyway, Alain deserved it."

"What is there _to _know?" Alain grumbled. "She's a spoiled royal brat who can't accept the reality of… wait… royal?"

"Do you get it now?" Jasmine folded her arms. "The girl's a royal Norma, just like Alektra was back then." The emphasis of the last statement made it all come together in Alain's mind.

"You're not saying that…"

"Bingo." Maggy said. "She may be able to pilot Villkiss. You've definitely seen the ring haven't you? If she can, then it means a second chance at Libertus."

"Just hold on with that! I know I was only a kid last time, but… did those three have to die because of this?!" Alain said, his hand clenching again. "Zola, Coco, Miranda… why them? How could Jill just…"

"I know you may not get it." Jasmine put a hand to Alain's shoulder as he let out a grumble. "But everything Jill does is for the sake of the Norma. I don't like it anymore than you, but if Ange is going to be our new sword, then she needs a serious reality check."

"You can't save everybody." Maggy added. "If you want to make sure those three didn't die for nothing, then do as Jill says and follow her plan. Once Libertus succeeds, girl like them won't have to die that way again." With the initial shock and anger having died down, Alain was able to think with a clearer head.

"Fine." Alain grabbed his jacket as he passed the bed, being sure to pat Vulcan on the way. "I'm going to go check on Garm. You said they're back right?"

"Should be with Jill in their briefing room. I'd be careful, it's probably gonna be a mess." Jasmine pat Alain on the shoulder as he headed for the door.

"_Alain."_ Wyvern spoke up from the terminal as Alain left and started down the hall. _"Are you really alright? From my understanding, expressing sorrow over the loss of others is essential for maintaining proper physical and mental health."_

"I'll be fine. Not like it's the first time." Alain grabbed his wrist again, taking a breath to calm down and stop his shaking. He had to maintain his composure. The girls would need him to be the strong one, and it wouldn't do for the shoulder they needed to be crying with them.

* * *

Of Arzenal's various wings, the Logistics Wing was always the busiest. Situated across the from the launch bay; it was home to a variety of facilities. Classrooms for basic education, indoor training, the armory, spare Para-mail components and unassigned units, and more importantly for Alain, the briefing rooms. Each squadron was assigned to their own for the purpose of gatherings to discuss training regiments or debriefing after failed sorties. Like what was happening with Garm.

Garm's briefing room was the first along the line of Arzenal's main three units. It's door was emblazoned with their designation and the squad's hellhound emblem. Since the outer wall was solid concrete, sound didn't easily carry out of these rooms, one but Alain was able to hear Jill's voice by sticking close to the door.

"…we can't confirm the KIA status of Zola until the retrieval team returns. Once they do, the report will be finalized and we'll ready an attack plan for when we locate the Brig. Garm will wait on standby until then. And until we know for sure, Salia will be stationed as the Acting Captain, with Hilda as her Lieutenant. Dismissed."

Alain leaned up on the wall past where the door would open. It opened a second later, Jill striding out, only giving a cutting Glance in Alain's direction as she passed him.

"You knew, didn't you? You knew Ange would try to run." Alain was staring at the back of Jill's head with a stare intense enough to bore a hole through concrete. "Was it worth it?"

"I'm Jasmine told you. If Ange survived the crash then we'll have the chance we need." Jill turned in full, Alain's hands tensing on his arms. "A royal Norma with a ring… she's the perfect candidate to pilot Villkiss. You simply have to accept that some will die in the pursuit of our goal, but that once it's realized, they won't have died in vain."

"Don't give me that!" Alain's hands were tight, but he was doing everything to control his voice. It wasn't the time for him to get angry again. "They didn't _have _to die today, you know that. My _problem _Jill, isn't that I can't accept casualties being a reality of war… what I can't accept is being forced to _watch _and be powerless to save the ones I _can. _And from what I saw, you would've let the entire squad die to break Ange! Give me one good reason _not _to go in there and tell them that!"

"Don't go thinking I owe you an explanation. Remember when Libertus first failed, I gave you the option to stay or to run away with the other survivors. But, you didn't. Being here means you follow my orders, and carry them out as you need to." Jill then leaned on her hip a bit. "You said it yourself, didn't you? That girl needed a reality check. One way or another, she has to be forced to accept her position in the world. And if it costs a life or two, so be it." Jill's level tone, the sureness of which she spoke about it, brought Alain to bite his lip.

"_Except you're not the one paying that price." _He thought. Alain understood the risks, but wasn't the point of Libertus to give _all _of the Norma better lives, ones free of the fighting they were forced into? What would be the _point _of it if more and more of them kept dying in the pursuit of that freedom? How would that make them any better than the humans who put them there to begin with? As if reading his mind, Jill sighed and crushed her smoke.

"Feel whatever way you want about it." Jill lit a cigarette. "All I need you to do is act appropriately and fulfil your own roll in all of this. Your father piloted Wyvern as one of the Knights. You're as sworn to the success of Libertus as he was, unless his legacy and death suddenly mean nothing to you. If you still have a problem with my methods once this is all said and done, then feel free to take a bat and work me over until you're satisfied. But until then, follow my orders and see this through."

"Yes, ma'am." Alain's boiling anger cooled to a simmer, and he managed to make himself salute as Jill turned.

As much of a low blow it had been, Jill was right. Alain had inherited a will years ago. Aside from more personal reasons, Alain stuck around due to his inheritance of the Wyvern, the only thing he had to remember his father by. And as much as he didn't want to admit it, Jill was right on the other point. If Ange could pilot the Villkiss, then she was their best chance. But… he couldn't help but think if his and Tusk's parents would approve of Jill's choices.

Once Jill had vanished down the hall, Alain took a breath in. He knocked on the door to the briefing room. At the least he could be polite about it even as he stuck his head right at the window.

"Come in." Salia said.

As Alain expected, all eyes were on him as he entered. The remaining members of Garm were still seated around, all showing the mood they bore. Salia had her hands clasped before her, brow knitted in thought. Vivian next to Ersha, the latter making sure to keep her younger comrade's energy under control. Rosalie and Chris were seated next to each other, the former nervously biting a nail, the latter muttering under her breath. Hilda sat against the window overlooking the launch bay, looking ready to explode with her face almost as red as her hair, her shudders making her hair shudder and her nostrils flaring with every breath.

"Everyone alright?" Alain immediately gave himself a mental slap. Of all the stupid things he could have said.

"Alain." Salia said, standing up. "What happened? Why did Jill ground you before the mission?" Alain looked around and sighed. He knew that wouldn't like his answer.

"I can't tell you right now."

"Bullshit!" Hilda snapped. Stomping over, she grabbed Alain by his jacket's collar and yanked him towards her. "Why weren't you out there?! The rookies are both dead, and Zola could be too! You better have a good reason or I swear…"

"You don't think I didn't want to?!" He snapped back. "Jill clocked me out cold before I could get to the door! Even if I had, there wasn't a guarantee I'd have arrived in time!"

"He's right." Ersha agreed. "Wyvern is fast but it's not a miracle maker. I'm sure Alain has his reasons so please… let's not fight among each other right now."

"I agree." Salia said. "If you want to be angry at anyone, be angry at who's actually responsible."

"Tch. Fine." Hilda shoved Alain off and went back to sulking in the corner, shooting him one last glare.

"It's gonna be okay." Attention went from Alain to Chris. "Zola… she's been a pilot way longer than any of us have. She's survived before, and she's come back every time." despite her attempts to sound certain, the silver-blue haired girl couldn't stop her voice from wavering.

"Yeah, you're right." Rosalie said. "Hilda, you said the Brig hit the back right? If so, even if it was near the cockpit there should've been plenty of room for it to miss! Right, Alain?" Neither of them sounded certain, but Alain wasn't going to discourage them. Moving towards them, he set a hand on their shoulders in as best a reassuring gesture he could.

"As long as there isn't a body, I'd say there's a good chance. There's a lot of islands around that area, if she was able to get out and drift, she could've ended up at any one of them." As much as Zola annoyed him and pressed his buttons, she was still a comrade, one he owed a lot to. And at one time previously, one of his best friends. "Let's just wait for retrieval to get back before we do anything else."

"Yeah you're right." Rosalie nodded. "Come on Chris, let's go get something from the mess hall. We won't do Zola any good if we tip over from hunger." Leaning on one another, the two left the room together.

"Coco. Miranda…" Chris whispered. "I swear if that bitch killed Zola too..." Chris's moment of anger came off as so unlike her, it was like she was a different person. But, Alain felt he couldn't blame her. Rosalie and Chris idolized Zola. And Zola, as selfish as she could be, always cared for those under her.

"We'll come too." Ersha said. " It's just such a shame Coco and Miranda had to die so soon. They were such sweet girls."

"But at least now we know who was going to die first!" Vivian said, Ersha and Alain both glaring at her. Hilda followed them, giving Alain one more nasty glare as she passed.

"You okay?" Salia asked.

"Aside from probably having a cracked rib or two, I'm good." Alain said, patting his still sore stomach. He just hopped this wasn't the start of something nasty. Hilda had a mean streak, and Alain knew how long she could hold a grudge for.

"Damn that Ange." Salia muttered. "What the hell was she thinking?"

"Who knows." Alain sighed. "Oh, and since it's just us, I need to talk to you about something."

"About what?" Salia asked. Peering into the hall for a moment, Alain made sure there wasn't anyone lingering around who could hear them.

"About why Jill grounded me."

"It's okay." Salia said. "If she ordered you too then…"

"She didn't _exactly _order me, but I think you should be the only one to hear this." Alain said. "Salia… Jill's likely planning to give Villkiss to Ange."

"What?!" Salia gasped. The girl had a _particular _bid when it came to the machine. In the look for a pilot for it, she'd attempted to do so four years ago. Unfortunately, the test flight didn't end well and Salia had wound up crashing. She'd been forced to spend time recovering, and Villkiss has been left in the wrecked state it remained in too the current day. Salia had never really gotten over that failure, despite Alain's best attempts. "But why her? We can't possibly trust her to fly Villkiss!"

"I know, I know. Look, for now let's save anything for after this mess is over." Alain knew he was opening an old wound, but what else could he do? "She's a royal Norma, like Alektra was… Jill doesn't want to pass up a second chance at Libertus. Ange came here with a ring too. Honestly she may just be our only choice."

"She doesn't have to be." Salia said. "We can have other options, another chance… but we don't have to try and rely on someone who can't be controlled! Why choose her for it? I'm a more experienced pilot, I could control Villkiss far better than her!"

"Skill isn't exactly the problem with Villkiss." Alain said, Salia grumbling. "Wyvern?"

"_Villkiss bears a biometric lock on its systems." _Wyvern said, Alain holding up the terminal._ "While anyone could theoretically pilot the machine, they would be unable to draw out it's true capabilities. My records dating back to when it was used by Alektra Maria von Lowenherz allude to as much. A Norma born of royal blood and bearing a ring of such a family are required to use Villkiss. Were Villkiss's biometric lock to be removed however, the former requirement would be unnecessary. But as it stands, the only ones who could properly use the Villkiss must come from one of the ruling families of the mainland. A Norma like Ange is necessary to the reactivation of Villkiss."_

"Then what about once it is reactivated? Would there be a way to turn that lock off?" Salia demanded.

"I think if we knew a way it would've been done ages ago by the people who found Villkiss." Alain stowed the terminal, sighing again. "I don't like the idea as much as you, but what other choice do we have right now? But… wait, did Jill ever tell you about the lock?"

"No this… this is new to me." Salia looked to the side. She'd idolized Jill since she was young, and of anything she wanted to be like that person she'd idolized. But times were different now. "If Jill wouldn't tell me that… what other secrets is she keeping?"

"You and me both." Alain put a hand on Salia's shoulder, the purple haired girl blushing a bit. "For now, please don't worry too much about it alright? Things are a bit to hectic and… well, I'm sorry for opening that old wound. I just figured you deserved to know what Jill might be planning."

"No, no it's fine. I'm glad you told me. It's my fault for letting it get to me. I don't like the idea, but I'll save my complaints for Jill herself. I just… I don't want to keep getting left behind."

"Who is that meant for?" Alain tilted his head, Salia giving a chuckle as she brushed his arm off.

"It's nothing, just a thought that slipped out is all. Do you want to grab something from the mess hall? I think I'll do a bit better once I've had something to settle my stomach."

"I can agree to that. It's definitely not gonna be much better once retrieval is back."

Salia could only nod in agreement as they left. In a bit of a tentative move, Salia's hand brushed against Alain's as they walked. Giving a moment as she pulled away, Alain reached out and grabbed her hand in return. Salia flinched at the gesture but welcomed it as she leaned against Alain. At least there was somebody around she could feel like it was safe to be a bit more vulnerable with.

Because as it stood, there was going to be a coming storm of its own soon enough.


	7. Chapter 6: Keep Alive

Rondo in the Endless Sky

**Chapter 6: Keep Alive**

The day had started bad and it wasn't getting any better.

The grey clouds that had formed over Arzenal perfectly fit the mood in the infirmary. As soon as retrieval had returned with Ange, Jill had immediately called Garm and Alain in for a briefing. It wasn't good, to say the least.

Ange had survived with only a few major injuries. But, nothing that would keep her down for too long, at least by the standards of Arzenal. To make sure she didn't try to run again, Jill had ordered Ange to be restrained to her bed. But, going from the bandages and her listless gaze, Alain didn't think she'd be going far anytime soon even if she tried. Alain and most of Garm were gathered at the foot of Ange's bed, while at another, Rosalie and Chris were sobbing inconsolably over Zola's remains, encased in a body bag. And going by the shape of the bag, it was probably a good thing she was covered. From what they were told, Ange and Zola's units were only good of whatever spare parts could be yanked from them, whole Coco and Miranda's units had likely sunk into the ocean along with whatever was left of their pilots. And worst of all, the DRAGON had gotten away.

"These are the consequences of your desertion, 'Princess'." Jill lectured Ange. "I hope you're proud of yourself. Do you have anything to say in your defense?" Alain bit back the urge to point out that Jill shared most of the blame herself. Ange didn't say a word.

"Say something dammit!" Rosalie shouted, Maggy waving her down.

"Don't go hurting her now." Maggy said. "She's injured enough as is." _'Not helping Maggy.' _Alain thought.

"I only tried to go back to my nation." Ange slurred. "I did nothing wrong."

"It's your fault that Zola… she's dead because of you!" Rosalie shouted.

"Murderer. Murderer!" Chris screamed.

"Murder? Norma aren't human." Ange muttered. "You can only murder humans." A shock went through the entire med bay, and even Jill seemed pissed off. Alain thought back to Coco and Miranda, how barely even a day ago he'd just been talking to them. How the young girls had looked up to Ange despite her arrogance. And that was all she had to say? He felt his anger flare again, but someone beat him to it. Pushing Salia saide, Hilda snapped her leg up and brought her heel down on Ange's bandaged shoulder, producing a sharp scream of pain from the girl.

"You're seriously messed up you bitch!" Hilda growled. She took a fistful of Ange's blond hair, pulling back her other hand to a tight fist. But before she could do more, Alain and Salia snapped back to their senses, both grabbing Hilda. "Let go of me!" she yelled while getting pulled away.

"Stand down!" Jill barked. Slowly, Hilda relaxed and was let go.

"How are you okay with that?" Hilda grumbled, but taking a moment when she saw the glower Alain was giving Ange."

"I'm not." Alain answered. "But it won't change a thing, so what's the point?" Hilda clicked her tongue and turned away in response.

"Alain's right." Jill nodded. "Our priority now is to regroup and locate the Brig in order to counterattack. Salia, Hilda, your positions are now finalized. Alain, Mobius Squadron will be permanently attached to Garm until further notice in order to shore the numbers. Return to your posts but stay alert, dismissed."

"Yes, ma'am!" Garm turned to leave, but Alain stayed behind. He had an extra errand to run.

"And the answer is," He caught Vivian saying. "everyone died except Ange!"

"Be quiet." Salia ordered.

"Fiiiine." The young pilot sighed. Once Jill had left too, Alain turned to Maggy.

"I'm guessing you wanna go check up on her?" The buxom doctor asked.

"Has there been any changes?" Alain asked.

"None so far. Though let's hope she wakes up soon." Maggy pulled out a file. "Cause the longer she stays out for, the deeper her debt'll go."

"I'll cover that when she does." He assured, then cricking a brow. "Maggy, do you mind?"

"Hmmm?" Maggy leaned forward more with an all too familiar smirk. Alain adjusted his eyes to avert staring down her cleavage. "You sure you don't need a checkup? Ange's blood is nice, but yours is so much better."

"I'm fine. I'll be going now." Alain turned on his heel and bolted out. He wanted to get out of there before he ended up strapped to a bed like Ange.

A short trip down the hall lead Alain to the Intensive Care wing. He couldn't think of a time when the area _wasn't _being used, but nobody ever stayed for long. As Jill could and Zola would have attested, there was little that excused a Norma from combat duty. It also helped that Arzenal had a policy of charging a million cash for every day one missed. Anything a Norma couldn't live without or just be replaced was considered preferable to that.

At the moment, there was only one resident in the wing. She was a unique case in Arzenal, a Norma falling into a coma after a DRAGON encounter due to her injuries. Alain himself hadn't seen it happen. He'd been away at one of Jill's missions. But he still remembered when he'd gotten back the day it had happened… he was lucky to have learned a couple of valuable lessons from that experience.

His destination was at the far end of the hall. Through the clear glass of the wall that separated the room from the hall, Alain could see a girl laying on the bed. Naomi, 17 years old. A long curtain of bright pink hair fell around her shoulders. Were it not for the breath mask, tubes, and cables attached to her; she would've looked like she was sleeping. The month spent in bed was beginning to show. A body that had once been athletic but slender and well-proportioned was slowly starting to waste away. Regular electrotherapy had slowed it, but not stopped it.

"Hay, Naomi, sorry it's been a while since I last visited. Thing's have been kinda busy." Alain took one of the chairs and leaned on his hands. "Maybe I should at least start with the good? I dunno… the nursery kids are doing well. They miss you but Ersha is keeping their spirits up. Clara turned eleven the other day, and she's excited for when she can become a pilot. Ersha and I are starting to get through to this newer girl named Kira too. As for the squads… I wish I had something better to say."

Alain let out a sigh. He knew speaking like this wouldn't do anything. But, it felt at least better for him than sitting around and staring. He was holding out the hope Naomi would wake up one of these days… so he couldn't let himself think she _wouldn't._

"Garm wound up getting three new members. Coco and Miranda got put in. You remember Coco right? The one who always went on about wanting to meet a real Prince someday. The third is named Ange. She got here late like Kira, and I mean _really _late. She'd just turned 16 when they caught her. I know she's still adjusting but… damn did things go wrong." He leaned forward a bit more, to where his head was almost pressing into the glass. "Long story short, we got called out on an excursion. Ange tried to run. Coco tried to follow after her but… now Coco and Miranda are dead, and so is Zola. Part of me still doesn't believe it. We always thought that Zola was too stubborn to die, but I guess even her luck was bound to run out."

Alain's attempted laughter turned to a bitter sigh. His teeth gritted and his hands tightened. He couldn't express how much he hated this.

"Dammit I miss you, Naomi. Things aren't the same for any of us without you. I at least want that chance… the chance to _not _lose someone I care about again. I won't go acting like I could've changed things by saying 'if only I'd been there'… but dammit this is all frustrating. It just feels like I keep losing people. My family, my friends. Jill _says _she has a plan but what's the point if everyone dies in the process?" Alain took a breath to calm himself as he started shaking. "But… just please, wake up soon alright? I'll convince the others to throw a base wide party when you do. Also, I was able to strike a deal with Jasmine and Mei. It's costing me, but your pet project's safe. I know how much it means for you."

"_Alain, a message came in." _Wyvern said, Alain pulling up the terminal. _"From Commander Jill. She wants you to meet her and Jasmine at the passage to the graveyard."_

"They must be getting ready to lay down the new graves. Alright, I'll be there soon." Alain nodded as he stood, leaving a hand on the ICU. "I'll be back another time. Sleep well, Naomi."

* * *

The residents of Arzenal had a lot to hate things to hate about their home. And if one part of it topped most everyone's list, it would be the graveyard. Precariously located at the western cliffs, its only access point being a tunnel carved through the peaks of the plateau's rear edge. The rows and rows of tombstones were a testament to all of the Norma who'd been thrown away by the world. And it was as much a monument to the lost as it was a reminder of the inevitable fate of all the Norma.

At the end of the passage leading out, Alain found Jasmine and Jill speaking. Ange was with them, swaying from her injured leg and back to her good one, still dead-eyed. From what he'd heard on the way there, her letters had been rejected. Not that he found it surprising. By Jasmine's side, Vulcan turned as soon as he picked up on Alain's presence and trotted over. The young man took a moment to greet the dog with a pat to the head, also noticing the wooden cart carrying three gravestones.

"Punctual as can be." Jasmine said, handing a closed umbrella to Alain as he approached. He'd need it since the clouds had broken into a steady rainfall. "We were just wondering when you were going to show."

"You could've at least called the rest of Garm too." Alain said, popping the umbrella open. He didn't have a clue why he'd been the only one called to this.

"They'll get their chance to mourn." Jill assured. "But today, Ange is going to be carrying them." Ange looked up with a confused expression. Surely they weren't expecting her to do something so strenuous in her condition? "The survivors are responsible for burying their fallen comrades. That's how it works here on Arzenal."

"Bearing the weight of their lives makes sure you remember them." Jasmine said. "We Norma may be damned to die by the orders of the humans, but we care for our own. Don't worry, you can pay me in installments. Not like you're going anywhere."

"Is now really the time to be money grubbing?" Alain sighed, Jasmine snickering. "But, that's how it is. Maybe you don't think our lives matter, but to us they do. I remember the names of each and every Norma I know who's died. Both to keep them alive in some form, but also so I don't forget why _I'm_ still alive."

The walk was a long one. Ange spent about half the time just getting the graves out to where they would be set, stumbling and getting covered in mud and left sopping wet because of the rain. But it got done eventually. Jill had been offered an umbrella of her own, but had neglected it, leaving herself soaked through as well by the time the graves were finally set.

"Zola Axberg, Coco Reeve, Miranda Campbell… they're all good names." Jasmine spoke as the group looked at the freshly set sites. "Arzenal girls finally get their names back when they die. Their real names, the ones given to them by their parents. Zola's womanizing was her only real flaw. She was smart, hard-working and always looked out for her squadmates. She valued her comrades more than anything. It's a shame she's gone." Vulcan punctuated his owner's words with a mournful howl as Jasmine glanced to Alain. "You want to say something? I know you two argued a lot, but there was a time you were good friends."

"Not really." Alain sighed. "Yeah, we didn't get along at times, and I guess we just drifted apart as things… changed. But she wasn't a bad person. She was a hell of a pilot and a great leader. She didn't deserve to go out like that." Alain cut a look to Jill, recalling her offer to get back at her at another time. "Let's just hope she finds some peace wherever she ends up."

"What's going to happen now?" Ange said. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Fight and kill DRAGONs." Jill answered. "That's all."

"What are those DRAGONs?" Ange's mind flashed back to Coco's death, and the images of the things that had killed her now burned into her mind. "Why do I have to fight them?"

"We don't know." Alain said. "Just that we do, and the Norma fight them because we have no other choice."

"Besides, weren't you listening in class?" Jill added. "We Norma are allowed to live only as weapons to fight DRAGONs."

"Isn't that what you'd want as a princess?" Jasmine said, a sardonic bite to the old Norma's tone. "You're fighting to protect the world, you should feel honored." Ange gave Jasmine a confused gaze.

"Think about it." Alain said. "Why do you think the human nations are so peaceful? It's because we fight the DRAGONs, and the humans don't have to get their hands dirty. It also lets people think their world is perfectly fine and totally free of strife and worry. And what do we get out of it? We get tossed aside like yesterday's trash."

"He's right." Jill said. "While your world was drunk on peace, we Norma were here, fighting and dying, unknown to anyone, to protect you. And now it's your turn."

"But that has nothing to do with me!" Ange shook her head. Her voice was nothing but denial. "I'm not even a Norma! I don't deserve to be here!"

"If so, then try this." Jill reached into her pocket and pulled out a pen, dropping it into Ange's hand. "This is the Overseers. She can use it with Mana just fine. If you're not a Norma, then you should be able to do the same, right?"

"Light of Mana." Nothing happened and Ange's face twisted in confusion and despair. "Mana. Light of Mana!" but, nothing at all. The pen didn't so much as budge. Ange slumped to the ground as her hand shook. "Why? It's just… it can't be. I just… can't use Mana right now."

"Will you stop with the excuses already? It's just pathetic." Alain turned to Ange, not with a look of anger or annoyance, but pity. "You get it now? It's not working because you _can't _use Mana."

"And for that I have to get thrown into this hell?!" Ange yelled. "It's outrageous!"

"Who do you think put us here?!" Alain dropped his umbrella as he grabbed Ange by her jacket. His anger had flared, but it was a cold breed of it. "You, your rotten family, every ruler of those nations, they're the ones who made things this way! Norma are violent, anti-social monsters. That's why they reject the Light of Mana. That's how it goes, right? Do you even remember it? The person you told that too?!"

"What… I… you were…?" Ange's eyes were wide. What Alain had said was almost word for word what she'd told to the mother of a Norma baby. She had to wonder, had that woman been looking at her with the same cold disdain Alain was now?

"Her name is Serra." Alain kept going. "That little girl, who did _nothing _wrong but be _born _incorrectly by the twisted standards _your _former people made. She's not even a year old, and they threw her in here all because she was born without the ability to use Mana. But _now _it's suddenly not fair because _you're _the victim this time?!"

"She's not wrong about it though, Alain." Jasmine said, kneeling down and petting Vulcan. "Of course it's not fair. Coco had just turned twelve dammit."

"Twelve?" Ange repeated. "She was the same age as… no! No! That… that _thing _was not like Sylvia! She wasn't human!"

**SMACK**

The quick sting of Alain's palm across Ange's cheek sent her sprawling across the mud.

"What the fuck does that make you then?!" Alain yelled, tears visible at the edges of his eyes. "You can't use Mana so neither are you! But because you just couldn't deal with it… now three of those people are dead! Three of _my _comrades! Do you even understand that idea!?" the sound of footsteps splashing in the rain drew attention, Salia running up behind them.

"Commander!" The young captain reported. "We've located the Brig." Jill nodded and shoved Alain aside, roughly pulling Ange up to her feet.

"Get up." Jill ordered. "Snap out of it. The world is unfair and unjust, so kill or be killed. That's all there is for you now. So, kill the DRAGONs for your dead comrades! If you can't do that much then lay down and die!" Slowly, Ange straightened herself out, her tears mingling with the rain.

"Then just kill me now." Ange said. "I can't live like this! I'd rather be dead." _'When I thought she couldn't be more selfish.' _Alain thought, a hand tightening up.

"No." Jill said, looking to the graves. "You'll die in battle, just like they did. That's your duty as a Norma."

"But, Commander." Salia interrupted. "We don't have any working units." Jill smile, and Alain already knew what the woman was thinking.

"But we do. _That one." _Jill's remark got Jasmine to show a grin, Salia giving a small gasp.

"You don't mean…"

"She does." Alain said, Salia looking to him as he wiped off his eyes. "Villkiss."

* * *

The door to the storage hangar opened with a grind as the gears rusted by sea air wearily came back to life. Alongside Jill, Alain and Salia had come with her to fetch Mei so they could pull Ange's new unit out of storage.

"We're really sending it out?" the young Armorer asked.

"Yes." Jill answered, Mei giving a wary look back towards Ange.

"And you really think she can…"

"We'll just have to find out." the Commander shrugged. "Can we at least start it up?"

"No problem! Give me twenty minutes!" Mei hurried ahead of the group as the group went further into the hangar. A row of lights flashing on illuminated the same wrecked Para-mail that Jill and Alain had checked in on a few days ago. Salia's face sported a troubled expression, her eyes trailing to Jill.

"This is your new machine." Jill shoved Ange forward a bit. "Its name is Villkiss. It's pretty old and hasn't seen any decent repairs in years. The engine's in shambles, the energy regulation is a mess, and its transformation gears are totally shot. It's a deathtrap that could fall apart right in the sky. Perfect for someone who wants to die."

"I can die if I ride this?" Ange stumbled forward like she was sleep walking. "I can be Angelise again…"

"Jill, wait." Salia whispered, stepping a bit closer to the commander. "If the Villkiss gets damaged…"

"Insubordination isn't going to be tolerated, Salia." Jill warned. Salia looked taken aback by the subtle threat but Jill's expression softened as she laid a hand to Salia's shoulders in what looked like a reassuring gesture. "Now let's move out. It's your first sortie as a Captain. I'm expecting good results. Alain?"

"Yeah yeah." Alain sighed. "Of course I've got her back. I've got all their backs." Jill gave a cool smile as if she was satisfied with his answer and left to head to the command center. "Come on Salia, we need to suit up ourselves."

"But, Alain what if she…"

"I won't let that happen." He assured her. "I've got as much riding on this as you do. Look…" He took Salia by the shoulder, stepping aside with her as he cast a look back to Ange and the derelict machine. "remember what we talked about?"

"Yes." she half sighed.

"I'm almost at the end of my patience with Jill too. But right now, Ange is our only option. From what Jasmine told me, Alektra was pretty similar to her back then. Always in despair, but Villkiss gave her something to believe in and keep going. There's a reason Libertus hinges on the thing. So for now, let's just trust Jill's judgment and see where things go."

"Okay." Salia nodded, and she flinched when Alain put a hand to her head. "Alain…"

"It'll be fine, trust me." He assured. "Let me worry about Ange and Villkiss. You've got a pretty full plate yourself after all."

"I guess you're right." Salia smiled. "At least I know you're with us for good for a while. Stick with Trigger and you'll make it. Right?"

"Still wish I knew who started that saying." Alain folded his arms, and Salia chuckled a bit. But there wasn't hiding the way her expression fell when she looked back to the Villkiss. _'I've still got a lot of work ahead of me for this one huh?' _he thought. _'But… if this works, and Ange can reawaken Villkiss, we can actually get moving again. And if not, then Zola, Coco, and Miranda's deaths will have been for nothing. And I won't let that happen.'_

* * *

The launch bay scrambled with energy as Garm was prepping for launch to go after the Brig. Alain was running final checks on Wyvern while Mei was perched just at the top of the hatch, checking her own data pad as Alain ran his hands across the control console's keyboard.

"Drive integrity is looking good, and all systems good. How's the OS Alain?" Mei looked down, Alain shooting her a thumbs up as he pushed the keyboard aside. "Good. I got Villkiss in as good a state as I could with the time I had. If this works out, I'll be sure it never ends up like that again."

"If this _does _work your probably won't have to." Alain joked, Mei sticking her tongue out at him, the boy giving her a playful look before the Armorer jumped off his machine. A press of the button closed the hatch, and Alain placed his hands to his controls as the cockpit display flickered to life. "Ready to go Wyvern? Not gonna be rusty despite being grounded for a few days?"

"_I understand your attempt at humor, but don't see the need for it when we just finished diagnostics." _Alain groaned at the AI sandbagging his joke like that. _"But, I am prepared to move out."_

"You could have at least played along with my joke." Alain sighed as he flicked his visor down. His eyes trailed over to the Villkiss as one by one, Garm began launching ahead of him. When the derelict unit finally took to the air, it was just barely keeping pace with its fellow units.

"_Mobius One, cleared for launch!" _Hikaru announced.

"Mobius One, taking off!" Alain drove the throttle forward. Wyvern's engines roared to life as it lifted up and launched, streaking off after Garm as the squadron was getting into formation. As usual the assault members; Salia, Hilda, and Vivian; took point while artillery; Ersha, Rosalie, and Chris; took the rear. Alain would normally be part of the assault team, but with Villkiss trailing behind and Ange looking like she could barely keep it in the air, he brought up the rear to make sure she wouldn't just plummet into the ocean.

"_Why the hell is she here?" _Rosalie said. _"We're supposed to be fighting alongside the person that killed Zola?"_

"_I'll kill her! I'll kill her! I swear I'll kill her!" _Chris muttered; her almost unusual vitriol was clear as day.

"Stingy, Ghost, cool it." Alain pulled a bit further to get alongside the other two, his tone all business. "I'll keep my eye on her so she doesn't try and repeat last time, alright?"

"_I heard she wants to die." _Hilda said, her image appearing on the console with a smug grin. _"So why don't we watch to see how Princess falls? Hey Trigger, wanna place a bet on how she does it?"_

"Don't push your damn luck Count." Alain grumbled. He was not in the mood for Hilda's usual attitude right now.

"_Hey hey, Alain!" _Vivian suddenly cut in._ "What's that machine?" _she thankfully made a welcome distraction for Alain. Of course she was bound to be curious about the Villkiss. _"Salia, Salia! That thing's pretty awesome right? Isn't it, Salia?"_

"_Edge, code names when we're on a mission!" _Salia barked, Vivian wincing as she chuckled. Vivian always _was _the one who never followed protocol until she was told to.

"_Enemy shadow detected." _Pamela's voice said. In time with it, a dark blot appeared on the water. The surf split, and the purple Brig that had cost Garm three members rose. As it took to the air, Alain took note of how a good chunk of it was still frozen, likely from the few freeze bullet shots that had been landed during the previous engagement. _'In that state it won't take much to kill the thing. But something doesn't feel right.' _He thought. Alain didn't know why, but something in the back of his mind told him not to get cocky yet.

"_So, what should we do, Captain?" _Hilda sounded almost mocking in tone as she matched pace to Salia.

"_Finish it off, it's almost dead." _the new captain ordered. _"All units, attack formation! Load freeze bullets!"_

"_Yes ma'am!"_

All of the Para-mails slowed and transformed into their Assault Modes. On each unit's left arm, a slot on the forearm opened and revealed a barrel loaded into it, a green spike projecting from the opened armor. The only (known) way to kill a large DRAGON was, simply enough, to freeze it solid. Para-mail freeze bullet launchers only came loaded with a handful of the rounds however, so the usual strategy was to get in as close as possible to ensure a hit or to plug the DRAGON with it point blank.

"_Tight formation. All units attack!" _Salia ordered, followed by the team rushing forward. It was a standard formation for sure. Assault units circling the larger enemy like a swarm of angry hornets, artillery at the back and peppering the Brig with canon fire. _'I still can't shake that feeling.' _Alain clicked his tongue as he glanced around, keeping Wyvern at the edges of the battle. _'It shouldn't be this easy unless…' _and Alain's eyes widened at the realization.

"Everyone move!" No sooner had Alain shouted had the Brig triggered its trap with a roar. A circle of energy rose above the waves, followed by a storm of the Brig's scales erupted into the skies. The pilots rushed to get clear, but Rosalie and Chris's units were hit, the former losing half a leg and the other one of her wings.

"_Hang back for now you two!" _Hilda shouted, her unit raising its rifle and firing a counter barrage at the razor-sharp projectiles.

"_Cheater!" _Vivian said, her unit fanning it's rifle at the scales while lashing its razor boomerang at ones she missed. Salia was countering herself, but inside her cockpit, her eyes were wide. This kind of situation was one that just didn't happen.

"_There wasn't any data about a Brig attacking like this…" _Salia muttered, her eyes flying around in a panic.

"Get it together Salia!" Alain shouted as he rushed in with Wyvern's rifle firing off, the blue energy bolts cutting through the swarming scales. He swiped the rifle around as Ersha got rushed from multiple sides, a few quick shots keeping her orange Hauser from taking too much damage, but one of her canons got the barrel sliced. "Shit!"

"_It's alright Alain!" _Ersha assured, her unit going back to back with his. _"Salia, we're in danger if this keeps up! What do we do?"_

"First off, don't gather up!" Alain shouted as the remaining units began gathering. "Split off and keep moving. Don't let the things corner you!"

"_R-Right!" _Alain felt a bit bad about taking control of the situation from Salia like that, but now wasn't the time to worry about those kinds of things. _"Loosen up the formation and find an opening past the scales! Trigger's right. If we get cornered the Brig will just take us all out at once!"_

"_Well look who's actually thinking for herself!" _Hilda almost laughed as the five units split off further while keeping up the counter barrage. As Alain expected, the Brig came rushing in towards the clustered squad, only to miss when they scattered. For its trouble, the Brig got a freeze bullet from Wyvern to the back, ice spiking up at the impact point. Unfortunately, all that seemed to do was make it angrier as it wheeled around for another pass.

"Tch, too high up." Alain clicked his tongue as he cycled the next round in. "Two shots left."

"_Alain." _Wyvern warned. _"Incoming from eight o'clock." _Alain looked back at the warning, his eyes going wide as a certain derelict machine streaked by him.

"Ange don't go in!" Alain shouted, being stopped from trying to match the Villkiss by a streak of scales getting between them.

"_Almost… almost…" _Ange mumbled over the comm line. _"Almost. I can almost say goodbye."_

"_What is she doing?" _Salia shouted.

"_Trying to get killed, what's it look like?" _Hilda said. _'Dammit no!' _Alain growled. He may not have liked her, but he was far from wanting Ange dead, especially with what was at stake. Unfortunately with the scales still circling them, Alain and the others couldn't get to her. When Ange was within distance, the Brig whipped its tail around to slap her out of the sky, yet Ange suddenly veered to the side, only taking a grazing hit to the underside of her machine. Villkiss easily recovered, despite the shuddering of the damaged frame. Alain gave a sigh of relief, when on his console, Ange's face took on a confused, somewhat distressed expression.

"_No… one more time…" _Ange moved back in close again. The Brig's body glowed and a new wave of sharp scales was sent flying. Again, Ange waited until the last second to dodge away. The Brig gave chase, and each time it attacked, Ange dodged. Despite _saying _she wanted to die, it was becoming increasingly obvious her body wasn't matching her mind. _"No… I have to die properly."_

"Alright, enough is enough." Alain broke a small smirk. Wyvern took aim as he adjusted his controls, a burst of energy bolts arcing from the barrel, cutting off the Brig in its pursuit of Villkiss. "Get it together Ange!"

"_Stay out of it!" _Ange yelled, the cut on her scalp reopening and causing blood to drip down her face. _"I don't want your help! I just want to die!"_

"Then why aren't you!?" Alain challenged. "Think about it! If you really want to die then why is your body still moving? Even if you're fate's been decided, you don't just surrender to it! You fight and live no matter what it takes! That's what it means to be a Norma! Or do you want to end up like Zola and the others?" Wyvern's rifle was beginning to overheat due to the constant use, so Alain slung it to the machine's waist hardpoint. The shield also rotated back to free up the other hand. In the place of the rifle, Wyvern drew both of its beam sabers and began cutting through the sharp cyclone around him. "Your life is your own, so fight for it!" No sooner had Alain said that, had he felt a pulse from the Wyvern, almost like a heartbeat. It's eyes gleamed brighter and the streams of particles from its engines grew stronger. Inside the cockpit, Alain felt the air become thick and heated, the pilot feeling as if time itself had begun to slow. _'What's going on?' _he wondered.

"My life is… my own?" Ange put her still bandaged covered hand to her head. The bandages slipped away, and from beneath them something gleamed. The last strip came undone, and Ange's eyes went wide to see the green gem of her mother's ring once more adorning her hand. And then she finally remembered them. Her mother's last words to her.

'_Live on, Angelise…'_

A sudden screen pulled Ange out of her stupor. Ange looked up to see the Brig roaring as it was baring down on her, it's massive jaws ready to crush her.

"I have… I have to live. I can't just die here! I don't _want _to die. I want to live!"

The gem of the ring glowed bright as Ange tightened her hand and Villkiss was encased in a radiant shell. A flash of light, and the years of wear and tear was cast off like shed skin, leaving a machine once more in its prime. Gleaming white armor streaked in blue and black gleamed in the sun as the clouds split, and beneath the formerly rusted frame gleamed golden. The once derelict machine shifted to Assault Mode, the eyes within it's visor gleaming red, while the crest adorning it's forehead bore a statue in the visage of a goddess. As it took form, the wings opened to an array and burst with new life that gave it an angelic visage.

"Took her long enough." Alain's muttered. He'd let Ange take this one. He had his own objectives. Still feeling as if he was moving through a thick morass rather than air, he gunned the Wyvern's throttle. Outside, the scales appeared as if they'd slowed to a near halt. As easy as they were to target, in this strange mental state, Alain was finding it hard to breath. Whatever this was, he needed to finish it quickly before he passed out.

The rest of the squad could hardly believe it. Just as the scales had begun to close on them, Wyvern suddenly gleamed red. Before they knew it, Alain's machine rocketed off and was darting across the sky so quickly it was as if it were in two places at once. It was as if a blazing tornado streaked in red had formed in the hurricane of razors and was quickly clearing them out.

A short way off, Ange and the Brig were circling each other like angry sharks. Ange fired her assault rifle, and the Brig raised a barrier against it. Between Ange's speed and the relentless assault, the beast couldn't even mount a proper counterattack.

"I don't want to die!" she yelled. "I won't die!" In an attempt to get past it's defenses, Ange switched back to flight mode and took off at full speed. In response, the Bring launched another barrage that Ange rolled past with surprising ease. The scales whirled in the air to follow after her, and Ange shifted back to Destroyer Mode. Her sword was pulled from its hardpoint and sliced down on any that got too close. From the corner of his eye despite his own fight, Alain saw that the attack had herded Ange right into the direction of the Brig.

"Look out!" He managed to shout despite feeling like that would only make him pass out faster.

"_Die!" _he heard Ange yell out. At the last moment, Ange juked upwards and rammed her sword right into the DRAGON's eye down to the hilt. In its pain and confusion, the beast roared as it flailed while the attack it had launched at Ange instead came around and shred its belly wide open in a spray of blood. And was quick to capitalize on it, and with a final scream, Villkiss's plunged back against it, Villkiss's palm slamming into it as the freeze bullet launcher opened, firing all three shots in a burst. Spikes of ice erupted all across the DRAGON's body as it began to fall while Villkiss pulled back. The resulting splash created a massive pillar of water that immediately froze over, also freezing the surface of the water along with it. And as the last scales were finally cut down, Alain felt the weight in the air fade away as Wyvern lost its red glow. His breathing was ragged from exhaustion and his arms felt like lead.

"_Alain, are you alright?" _Wyvern asked. _"Your bio-signs are showing heightened levels of distress."_

"I'm fine." he gasped. "So… that's Villkiss huh?" Alain relaxed a bit as the rest of Garm returned to flight made and began hovering in the air. "Ange, you alright?"

"_I...I don't know,"_ she whispered. _"This feeling...it's so...NO! This is not who I am!"_

"Ange it's okay," he assured her. "You not only survived you won. What you're feeling is perfectly natural."

_"But killing just to survive...it's selfish...filthy...and..." _and Ange's voice was lost as she began to sob hysterically. Alain guessed he shouldn't be surprised. The first kill was always the hardest. She'd collect herself and settle with it soon enough, they always did.

"Wyvern, connect to Villkiss. Ange isn't in any condition to fly it back." He said, tapping a few buttons on his controls.

"_Understood."_

"Salia." Alain called.

"_Right." _Salia answered. _"All units return to base. Target eliminated, so the mission is complete." _Overhead, the clouds began to part, the amber light of the afternoon sun pouring down across the area. Alain couldn't help but feel like it was some kind of omen of things to come. He just hoped he wouldn't have many regrets when it was over.

"Wyvern," he then remembered. "what happened back there? How did you do that?" It wasn't just a performance boost. He could have sworn it felt like his mind had connected with the machine's OS.

"_I cannot answer that query." _Wyvern said. _"There are locks in place to my OS which I cannot bypass myself… all I can say is in that moment, one of those locks was undone."_

"Guess Villkiss isn't the only machine with some mysteries behind it. Any damage?"

"_None that I can determine. Also, you may wish to check your nose. It began bleeding around the same time as that event."_

"Eh?" Alain just then noticed the warm feeling on his lip. He reached up and pulled back his fingers to see them stained in crimson. "When the hell did that happen?"

"_I would suggest some caution in using that feature in the future." _Wyvern said."_The increased G-Forces are more than the Inertia Store Converter can process for long."_

"For some reason I don't think that was G-Forces." Alain brushed the thought aside for now as he wiped the rest of the blood off on his glove. Today had proven to be quite something, all of it highlighted by the awakening of the Villkiss and now, this new mystery about the Wyvern and just what it even was. _'Talk about a hell of a time. I really wanna just sleep after all this.'_

* * *

As the sun was finally setting over the ocean, a lone figure stood at the Arzenal graveyard. The evening sun had painted the sky a burning orange, the clouds turned a shade of red. Ange stood before three graves.

ZOLA AXBERG

MIRANDA CAMPBELL

COCO REEVE

"Goodbye," she said. "Father, Mother, Sylvia, Brother."

"You could at least tell them goodbye too." Ange turned and grimaced at the sight of Alain approaching from her left. "Fine, just don't forget their names. You owe them that much." Without a word, Ange pulled out her knife. Alain took a stance, wondering if she was about to take some revenge for the training sessions. But instead, she took a hold of her golden hair, a quick cut from the knife shearing it down to her chin. Ange held the locks for a moment more before letting them go. "I take it you're finally settled." Alain commented, watching as the cut hair caught the wind and drifted off over the cliff's edge.

"There's nothing left for me. Nothing that I need." She replied. "No past, no name, nothing. I won't die as easily as they did."

"I suppose that's one way for you to put it." Alain tried not to feel aggravated by the nature of that remark. _'Considering it's your fault they're even dead.'_

"To survive, I'll do what I have to. Claw the ground, drink muddy water and vomit blood." Ange balled a hand, looking towards Alain. Her eyes weren't those of a princess in denial of the truth, but the stone-cold look of someone determined to survive. "I'll live on… even if it means killing to survive."

"Try and remember you won't be the only one doing that." Alain said. And it certainly wasn't going to be easy, considering the grudge several of her squad mates would likely still hold against her. "You're gonna have a lot ahead of you, fair warning. Piloting Villkiss isn't the same as what the others do. Jill's going to expect a lot from you."

"She can expect whatever she wants. Doesn't change how I'm going to live. My life is my own, right?" Alain chuckled as Ange turned that back on him as she left. "Just don't get in my way."

"It's not me you should be concerned about." He said, Ange just scoffing as she continued on. Alain sighed to him and turned to the graves. "Zola, Coco, Miranda… I hope you're someplace better than Arzenal. Don't worry about us, we'll be fine. Zola, I'll keep Garm safe for you, I promise. That's the least I can do to pay you back, even with how things ended up."

Alain looked up to the flame painted sky. He shifted a hand with his thumb and pinky spread out like wings, raising his hand up until his arm was fully outstretched, right to the heights to the sky.

"Higher and higher… I'll carve my trail into those skies until all of us are free from this kind of life. Dad, Mom… I swear. I'll make sure that dream I inherited comes true."

* * *

**A/N**

**And now that sees the opening episodes finally come along to a close in all of this. Whooboy. It's gonna be fun from here on out as this keeps going. Because there is PLENTY to do.**


	8. Chapter 7: A Not so Average Day

Rondo in the Endless Sky

**A/N: Alright so quick one up here. I took this chapter down and put it back up real quick in order to make sure ya'll got the alert cause I added a scene to the end, and I know not everyone uses the mobile app... which apparently tells you if a chapter gets edited. Anyway, on with the show.**

**Chapter 7: A Not so Average Day**

Night times at Arzenal were under most circumstances uneventful unless a singular appeared. Since it's location in the middle of a shark infested ocean was considered inescapable security was surprisingly lax. Cameras were only kept at areas considered of strategic need like the top facilities of the island and the launch area. In the halls all one would encounter the few guard patrols making sure curfew was kept. But, if one wanted to wander about, they were easy enough to get past. And even if caught, the guards themselves oftentimes cared so little the offending Norma would be sent back to their room with little more than a reprimand.

Which meant it was easy to hold a private meeting in the commander's office, with it's stowed away location among the inner facilities. It was here the "inner circle" of Jill's most trusted gathered at her call. Jasmine, Maggy, Salia, Mei, and Alain; All of them stood around Jill's desk lit by the soft glow of an oil lamp. A week had passed since Ange's reactivation of the Villkiss. If they could take the plan forward, then Jill certainly planned to do so as soon as she could.

"Quite the kill count for only her third mission." Jill said, setting down the data pad she'd been reading from. "Not bad, not bad at all." _'Only because she kill-steals all the damn time.' _Alain muttered to himself.

"Nobody was able to use that machine well, then she comes along and does it effortlessly." Said Maggy, the medical officer giving Alain an amused glance as he huffed. "She's a complete natural."

"Yeah I know." Mei said. "Villkiss just seems to click with her." A sudden ping caught their attention, Alain pulling his terminal off his belt.

"_It would be because Ange clears it's biometric lock." _Wyvern said, Mei leaning to look at the terminal. _"So your assessments is correct to a technical degree. However, despite her prowess her behavior is still a concern. A rift still exists between her and several members of Garm Squadron."_

"We'll sort that out in due time." Jill responded. "But either way, Libertus starts now. What do you think, Salia?"

"She'll die immediately." Alain glanced to Salia as she looked away from Jill. Both the young captains thought to the past sortie before now. Unity in Garm was certainly becoming an issue. Ange did well yes, but she'd taken to a habit of breaking formation and stealing kills from the others. Least of all, the fact Hilda, Rosalie, and Chris were still looking for revenge. Alain had stopped counting the amount of times Ange had found herself caught in the middle of "friendly fire" during recent sorties. It was getting to be pretty tiresome.

"She's the villain that killed their beloved captain and the precious new recruits." Maggy said. "Throw in her attitude and you can't really blame them for hating her."

"I could do it." Salia spoke up. Alain couldn't help but sigh. He knew where she was going. "I'll show you. I can handle the Villkiss better than her. If we just shut off that lock…"

"We can't." Jill cut in. "We'd have already done it if we knew how." The woman also gave Alain a look. She'd deigned long ago not to tell Salia that information, and she could easily guess who'd gone and told her. "We just have to make do with the hand we were dealt. Like it or not, Ange is our only option."

"But if something happens to Villkiss…"

"I'll fix it right up if it comes to that!" Mei said, her smile radiating with confidence. "It's the entire purpose of the Armorer Clan after all!"

"We all have our own responsibilities." Jill stood and stepped to Salia, putting a hand to her shoulder. "Alright, Salia?"

"Y-Yes ma'am." Salia's hand clenched tightly despite her compliance with Jill as the woman gave an affectionate pat her on the head. Despite their discussions about it, Salia always got riled up when it came to Jill. Alain knew Salia idolized the woman, it was why she was so driven to pilot Villkiss. But after what happened with Zola, Alain was wondering if Jill's intentions weren't entirely straightforward.

"Onto other matters." Jill said, turning to Alain. "What Wyvern did a week ago, what exactly was that?" Alain pulled out his terminal and began opening files.

"I tried digging into Wyvern's systems, but I didn't find out much. All I got was this." The terminal was turned around and the others gathered around for a look. "It's called the Applied Ratio Inspective Scenario Enhancement System, or just ARISE. It overclocks the particle drives to perform at three times their usual output, increasing the overall performance and reaction time of the Wyvern. Problem is I've got no idea how to activate it manually, and it's easy to guess something like that runs on a time limit. That's on top of those errors they still have." Mei _tched_ and pounded a fist to her palm in frustration.

"If only I knew how to fix it's drives! Those things are far from running at max capacity, and even with all the work I've done I've barely added to my sister's notes." The mystery of the Wyvern's particle engines had been inherited by Mei from her older sister Fei-ling when the elder Zhao had died during the previous Libertus. After Villkiss it was her second most cherished project. "No way engines like that merely run at double the output. There's gotta be more to that system, I know it!"

"_I do wish I could assist in the repair of my platform." _Wyvern spoke up. _"Unfortunately the system locks imposed on the OS prevent me from further delving into whatever data may be contained within the onboard quantum computer, and I have no way to breach those locks at current."_

"It's fine!" Mei assured the AI. "Alain somehow got one of them undone to use that new system, which means there's a way to unlock the rest!" Mei was clearly excited at the prospect, enough to earn a warm look from Alain. But Jill rapping her desk with her prosthetic drew attention back to her.

"Wyvern is secondary to Villkiss, Mei. All I need to know is that we can use it. Just find out how to use that system on command." Jill had always considered Wyvern a lesser priority. Despite the fact both machines had notable past records and were just as mysterious in their wider functions. She always brushed it off when someone brought up wanting to dig further into it.

"We better get ready." Maggy reminded them, particularly the younger ones. "It's going to be getting busy around here."

"Remember not to get cocky." Jill said. "Especially around the Overseer. With the meeting over, Mei checked the hall for any passing security and gave the all clear with a thumbs up. Alain took a glance back as he filed out after Mei and Maggy, pausing at Jill for a moment before continuing out. A tap on his shoulder drew his eye back as Salia gestured for her to follow him.

"What's up?" He asked as they walked off together.

"Should we really just trust Jill with allowing Ange to fly Villkiss?" It was almost a surprise to hear Salia questioning Jill's decision. But, considering the subject, perhaps it was only natural. "There's so much riding on it now, and if she screws up…"

"I won't let that happen. I'm sure Jill attached me to Garm indefinitely to make sure I do. What we should worry about is sorting things out before someone else ends up dead." Alain stopped for a moment to check the halls, continuing since it was still clear. "I'll talk to Rosalie and Chris about it tomorrow when I get a chance. Hilda's going to be another matter."

"It's my squad, so please, let me deal with it if they take it too far. I should be the one to handle it. I know they're more likely to listen to you, but that's part of my job."

"If they don't push it, then I'll keep out of it." He replied. "But I can't guarantee I won't step in if I catch them in the act." Salia nodded, finding that a fair enough compromise. She knew Alain tended to be an impulsive sort. "And it's not like Ange doesn't share some of the blame either. She's not exactly doing much to dissuade them."

"Yeah. Agh! Why does this have to be a mess?" while Salia sighed, Alain gave a snide chuckle. Salia tapped him on the arm for it. "Hey… your room is closer right? Mind if I just stay with you? B-Besides… I could use some… stress relief after everything."

"You must _really _be needing it if you're being this direct about it." Alain's amused sigh was coupled with Salia hiding the blush that rose across her face. "But sure. It'll be easier for security to believe if someone finds out we were out past curfew."

"O-Of course! It's purely to be practical. And just normal procedure."

"Salia I can see you blushing. It's cute."

"S-Shut up!"

Alain's usual snickering carried down a bit as he dodged Salia's swing at him. All the better to lighten the mood a bit was his thought. It was better than always weighing themselves down with worries like that.

* * *

Post-sortie debriefs at Arzenal were rather straightforward. Once a squadron returned, the first stop was always the banking counter just outside of the hangar bay. There the attendant would run the numbers based on a pilot's recorded kills, role in damaging larger DRAGONs, repairs, and the usage of ammo and fuel to determine the total payout for the mission. Once the pay was given, they could either hold onto the cash to use immediately or bank it for safe keeping. Granted there _were _ways for pilots to lose cash beyond spending it. Primarily if something that prevented them from operating were to happen, which incurred a hefty fine of one million cash per-day regardless of the circumstances. Non-combat personnel were paid by the hour, and while it was more stable than a pilot's income, it wasn't as generous so many qualified candidates were quick to take up open slots despite the risk.

"Downed three Schooner-classes and an anchor driven into a Galleon-class." The teller said. Rosalie already knew this wasn't going to be much of a day for her. "Subtracting ammo, fuel consumption, and damages. This week you earned 180,000 cash."

"Tch, that's it?" Rosalie grimaced at the stack of bills that, by pilot standards, was all too thin.

"Hey don't complain." Chris commented. "I barely earned half of that." The two may not have been the best pilots in their squad but getting paid _that _much was a downright crime to behold.

"Hilda, how much did you earn?" Rosalie turned to the redhead. With a smirk to it, Hilda turned her pay around to show a much thicker stack of bills. "Whoa!" both gasped.

"Your pay is five and a half million cash for this week." The entire squad turned in shock to Ange as she took the full plate of cash with a dispassionate look. That kind of number was only earned by the best Aces and she was pulling it inside a week. Not surprising considering the amount of kill stealing she did.

"Whoaaa!" Vivian gasped. "I've only seen Big Bro and Zola make that much!"

"You really racked up the pay this week!" Ersha praised. _'Don't encourage her.' _Alain thought as Ange handed back the cash.

"Thank you for your deposit." Ange left without a word, seemingly oblivious to the glares thrown at her by Hilda and her sidekicks.

"Does she ever spend her money?" Vivian asked.

"Hardly ever see her at the mall, so I'm guessing no." Alain sighed as he stepped forward to get his pay. His earnings were at times considered a "cheat" by others, since due to the Wyvern's particle engines and beam weaponry, it knocked off ammo and fuel costs almost entirely. However…

"Two million cash for the week." The number was _not _what the others considered an average pull for him at all. He couldn't help but grumble as he took the stacks and ran his thumb over them.

"Oh my." Ersha noted. "I've never seen anyone earn more than Alain except for Zola."

"What do you expect?" Chris sneered. "What with that bitch kill stealing from everyone."

"It's about time someone showed her her place." Rosalie muttered. Alain rubbed his temples and gave a groan. This was exactly the kind of thing he was worried about.

* * *

They didn't even make it past the locker room.

Alain should have known why Hilda and co. had gone ahead of the rest. Though he didn't need a plugsuit to pilot Wyvern, he did have gear he needed to stow after sorties. He turned from his own when he heard Ange gasp.

"What's wrong?" Vivian ask as she trotted over to Ange. Ersha, Alain, and Salia went over to see what was going on, and Alain felt another headache coming as he blanched. Ange's locker was strewn crude graffiti with "SKANK" being the most prominent marking, and her uniform torn to complete shreds. Salia immediately knew who the culprits were.

"Did you three do this?" Salia snapped, Rosalie chuckling as she put a hand behind her head.

"Gee, who knows?" Rosalie went from playing it off to flinching as she caught the wide-eyed glare Alain was giving her. Ange's reaction was a bit different. With a complete lack of care, she grabbed the shredded uniform and threw it own. Ersha was sure to cover Vivian's eyes as she averted her gaze. Arzenal pilot uniforms tended to vary on the owner and at times wouldn't leave much to the imagination. But the state Ange's clothes barely even qualified them as clothes anymore. The top barely held together, and the ruined skirt showed more than a generous view of her panties. It was eye catching for all the wrong reasons.

"W-What's your problem?!" Rosalie yelped when Ange stepped forward and roughly grabbed her. Ange's knife flew from her holster and flashed twice before anyone could act. The top of Rosalie's plug suit fell from her breasts as the orange haired girl screamed, quickly putting her hands up to keep herself covered.

"Rosalie!" Chris gasped.

"Bitch." Ange huffed and left.

"Wow!" Vivian awed. Without a word, Alain turned on his heel and walked out into the shower room. Another second later, and an aggravated scream could just be heard from the other side. A silence followed as Alain walked back out. He shot a look the way of the offending trio as he left. He didn't want to think about the odds of him being right this would only get worse.

* * *

'_I don't think I can take much more of this.'_ Alain thought as he lathered up his hair. He and Ersha were showering after an intensive training session with Ange, who as usual took the stall furthest away from everyone else. If ever there was a place to yell a bit, may as well have been the showers. A couple of days had passed since the "uniform incident" and operation "Revenge for Zola" was getting old fast. First Rosalie tried to toss her tray at Ange in the cafeteria which missed by pure dumb luck and hit a girl from the third squadron, Wardog, who didn't hesitate to give Rosalie a beating. Then she and Chris tried to get Ange with a water bottle spiked with a laxative, only for Ange to turn that around. As he and Ersha had entered the showers, Alain could still hear Rosalie's cries of pain from the bathroom.

"Oi, Ange!" Alain said. "You seriously don't have a problem with them messing with you like that!"

"It doesn't matter. What some idiots do doesn't mean a thing to me." Ange said, Alain clicking his tongue. "What I'm wondering is what you're even doing showering in here with us." What Ange probably wasn't expecting was for Alain and Ersha to start laughing, the former in a more sardonic manner befitting his usual attitude. "And you act like I'm strange."

"Look Princess…" Alain had to stop himself as he pulled his damp bangs back. "I've been here my whole life. If I couldn't handle being around naked girls, I'd have never made it past thirteen. Besides, they don't allow personal showers."

"But Zola had a hot tub in her room." Ersha said. It was a thing they'd heard about plenty of times, both from the woman herself and her harem.

"Pretty sure they didn't use that for bathing." Alain remarked. Ange just huffed and went back to her own shower. "Well I'm done here. I'm gonna head to the mall since Vivian said she wanted help checking out some new stuff for her Razor."

"Have fun!" Ersha waved to Alain as he left while throwing a towel around his waist. And no sooner than him opening the door did he hear Rosalie and Chris discussing their latest scheme.

"Sh-She wears _that?! _She's a total slut!" Alain looked out and facepalmed. What Chris was holding, could barely be called a thong. Mostly see through with a bare minimum of black to cover the best parts, the rest a thin red strap for what would fall around the waist and rear. Rosalie was both gawking and looking a bit turned on. "Perfect! Let's hang it in the hallways!"

"What the hell are you two doing?" Alain demanded, making them jump.

"Alain look at this!" Chris beamed. "Can you believe that princess bitch wears this kind of stuff?!"

"That's Ersha's." Alain's deadpan response made the girls stop dead in whatever momentum they had gained.

"Eh?" was all Rosalie got out.

"N-No way. How would you…" Chris stammered as Alain raised a single brow. "Of course you would know." The full implications of what they were holding dawned on Chris and Rosalie. Ersha was well known for her warm personality, so this was the _last _thing either of them expected her to wear. "That uh… that's news."

"So what was it you were planning to _do _exactly?" He asked, both going white. "What _exactly _was running through your heads when you thought those were Ange's?"

"That uh…" Rosalie murmured.

"That we could totally expose that pig hoe bitch skank." Chris said.

"Unnecessary number of expletives aside…" Alain had to take a second to mentally hit himself. He was not in a place to deride someone for being foulmouthed. "You're lucky I came out first. If Ersha did you'd have ended up on the receiving end of her specialty moves. And I know from experience how much they hurt."

"Yeah that's not a fun idea." Rosalie gulped as she dropped the thong back into the laundry basket. Chris looked similarly worried at the idea herself.

"Look…" Alain went to his own locker and began to get dressed. "I don't like Ange as any more than you. And I don't blame you for holding a grudge against her. But, enough is enough. I'm going to have to tell Salia about this so she can actually settle things."

"But she…!"

"Rosalie, I said I get it." He was sharp on the response. "We have enough problems _without _you two making more. So cut the shit and stop being idiots." Rosalie and Chris flinched and turned away.

"Ehhh… I forgot how scary he can get." Rosalie whispered.

"Almost as much as the Commander." Chris said.

"I can still hear you!" Alain pointed out. What really bothered him though was Hilda. So far the redhead hadn't tried anything, and that was what worried him. He couldn't help but feel she had something planned, something that went beyond petty pranks. In the middle of his thoughts, the door to the shower opened and Ange appeared. He cooled off quickly when the two girls laughed themselves. That was a better mood at least. Alain watched from the corner of his eye, he watched as Ange changed into the shredded remnants of her uniform. The past few days of wear had left it all the more ruined. As if to emphasize the point, Ange sneezed, causing the torn top to rip apart and nearly cause her ample bust to spill out. _'Alright, enough is enough.' _Alain thought, storming over to Ange and grabbing her by the elbow. "Come on Ange, you're going with me!"

"Eh? Get your hands off me!" Ange protested as Alain dragged her out. Rosalie and Chris glanced over as Alain angrily dragged the complaining girl out. Better her than them was what they thought.

* * *

The typical bustle of Jasmine Mall was going strong. Off-duty pilots and support staff spending their free time in the recreation zone. Others doing routine shopping or pilots purchasing upgrades or accessories for their Para-mail. Amid the crowd, one excited figure with vermillion hair hurried through, a sucker stuck in her mouth and knapsack full of cash slung over her shoulder. It had taken Vivian months to save up what she needed, and while the last few missions hadn't earned as much as she would like, it was still enough to shore up her Razor. She had to keep up with Alain after all, and she didn't plan to let "Big Brother" down.

"Whoaaa, they have a new one!" She cheered as her beeline for the weapons racks showed her desired item. A new model of the boomerang weapon her Razor was equipped with. "Yo Auntie, how much is this!"

"It's Big Sister dammit!" Jasmine huffed. She and Vulcan came over and gazed up at the item Vivian was drooling over. "The new super-chrome-steel boomerang? Eighteen million cash." All around them, Arzenal residents stopped to stare in shock. Jasmine was known around the base for her exorbitant prices, but that sounded steep even for her. But Vivian didn't look at all deterred.

"Glady!" Not missing a beat, Vivian dropped the sack of cash and Jasmine did a quick count while Vulcan gave the bag a sniff.

"Thanks for the business." The older Norma said. "I'll have the Armorers get it installed right away." Suddenly, Vulcan began to growl. Jasmine long considered her hound a reliable source of reading people, so him growling the moment he picked up on something meant trouble. And Jasmine could already guess what it was. Amid the shocked whispers that replaced the background chatter, Jasmine turned to see Alain dragging a half-naked Ange behind him, the girl obstinately struggling in his grip.

"Whoa, sexy." Vivian said, looking up and down at the state of Ange's clothes.

"Don't encourage her." Alain said, letting go of Ange. "I think you can see what we're here for."

"I would've just come myself." Ange said, rubbing her elbow as she _tched _at Alain. The young man glanced back over his shoulder with a narrow look as she tossed a stack of bills at Jasmine. "You have uniforms right?"

"Do I?" replied the woman as she thumbed the money. "Sweetie, I've got everything from lingerie to rail cannons in this place." Jasmine pulled out a fresh uniform set from a stack nearby other essentials for pilots, tossing it to Ange. "Changing rooms are this way."

As Ange went and got changed into the new uniform, Alain stood outside the stall with Jasmine and Alain. It didn't take long for the old woman to give a telling smirk.

"That thing looks like it went through a shredder." Jasmine commented, eyes on the scraps at the floor of the stall. "Care to tell me how it ended up like that?"

"Three guesses, first two don't count." Alain answered just before Ange stepped from the stall, only pausing long enough to put her boots on.

"See you." Was all she said as she pushed past the others.

"You're already leaving?" Vivian asked. "You should buy a new weapon or two!"

"You've made a ton, haven't you?" Jasmine added.

"At least humor her." Alain advised as he pat the younger girl's head. "She'll keep bugging you otherwise." Ange glanced back and sighed in resignation.

"Fine." Together, all three of them brought Ange to the Para-mail section. All around them; weapons, shioelds and other implements far too big for a person to use loomed over them.

"Hey, how about this one?" Vivian chirped as she gestured to a sword with a fancy red hilt. "I think it'd look super awesome on your machine!"

"They probably already told you this." Jasmine mentioned. "But it's because you're going to die in that machine that you're allowed to customize it as you like. Powerful weapons, thick armor, flashy decorations. It's one of the few freedoms given to Norma."

"Pointless." Ange huffed and turned away.

"Y'know it's that attitude of yours that's why they keep coming after you." Alain said, turning on his heel.

"Alain's right. You can't blame them for something you started." Jasmine said. Ange whirled around with an angry look, Jasmine knelt down with a smirk while petting Vulcan. Alain could already tell where this was going. "But you know hon, even that's something you can easily solve with all the money you have. Safety, peace of mine, and life; all those things can be bought and sold here."

"Jasmine not everyone thinks that way." Alain groaned.

"I'm merely offering an option." Jasmine chuckled. "I'm a merchant after all. I merely distribute products to my customers. What they do with their purchase is none of my business."

"Spoken like a true entrepreneur." Alain commented.

"So you're saying I should bribe them?" Ange asked.

"That's a princess for you. Rather astute." Pulling an abacus from her jacket, Jasmine ran a quick calculation. "How about ten million a head?"

"They're only worth that much? C'mon Jasmine, we're talking about Garm members here." Alain said. He was against the idea just as much as anyone else, but even Alain had to admit there was a certain note of pride some had in knowing just what they were worth.

"Well that's just their price." Jasmine countered. "You wanna know how much some of the girls here would pay for you?"

"Pass." Alain looked to the side with a groan, Jasmine snickering.

"Such a shameless Norma." Ange sardonically laughed. "I don't need to pay off trash like them. I'll handle it _my _way."

"Ever hear of the pot and the kettle?" Alain snarked. Ange left without a response. "This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better, will it?"

"Ah! Gee I almost forgot!" Vivian downright bounced over as she grabbed Alain's arm. "Alain, I got the new boomerang for my Razor! So come on, help my pick out some tuning options for it! You said you would do that today!"

"Yeah yeah don't worry." Alain assured her with another pat to the head. "Afterwards we need to go see Salia. I got some things to tell her."

* * *

As Alain had hoped, Salia had wasted no time in calling Chris and Rosalie to Garm's briefing room. The two were knelt on the floor before Salia like a pair of disobedient children, which fit considering how they'd been acting. Ersha and Vivian sat nearby yet Hilda hadn't shown up yet for some reason. _'Why does that give me a bad feeling?' _Alain thought.

"I've been dismissing it as just blowing off steam because I know you're upset." Salia scolded. Chris timidly hung her head, while Rosalie simply sulked. "But Alain's right. This is getting out of hand and it needs to stop."

"Doesn't any of this bother you?!" Rosalie shouted, looking to Vivian and Ersha. "She killed our captain and two recruits and she doesn't even care!"

"I know." Ersha said. "But she bought all their graves and returned to the battlefield. She's already atoned for it."

"That's enough?!" Rosalie countered as the door open.

"Of course it's not." Hilda said as she entered. "Maybe a good girl like you could, but not the rest of us ordinary people." Hilda cut a glance to Alain. "Why do you even care Alain? I thought you disliked her just as much as we do?"

"I do." Alain bit. "But harassing her isn't going to bring anybody back. And you're just as at fault for letting her get to you in the first place."

"Bastard." Hilda growled.

"He's right, Hilda." Salia said. "I'm not saying you have to like Ange or forgive her. But this squad _needs _to get in order. And like it or not, she's a part of it."

"I'm just wondering what the hell Command is thinking. Her only punishment was being put in that crappy machine." Hilda strolled over to Salia, a snide look coming to her face. "Oh, maybe she's planning to sleep with her. How naughty." Salia tensed, and Alain got ready to move if things got ugly. "If you look at it that way then it makes sense. It takes a lot to get on her good side. You've gotta step up your game. The Princess may just be better in bed than you."

"That's insubordination!" Salia drew her knife at Hilda.

"And if it is?" who drew her gun in response.

"Cut it out!" Alain yelled. Before it could get worse, Alain grabbed the two by their wrists, twisting enough to make them lose hold of their weapons. "Salia, cool it. It won't do any good for you to get heated either. Hilda, you cut the shit too. Whatever Command's reasons are for it, we don't have a place to question orders." Hilda growled and wrenched herself free.

"And when the hell were you such a goody two shoes huh?!" Hilda snapped. "What the hell is with you Alain? I heard you got punched out by the Commander for trying to deploy that night and now you're rolling over like some puppy?! What, you wanna get in the Princess's pants too?"

"Don't push it!" Alain growled, releasing Salia and staring Hilda down. "I'm still pissed at Jill for that. I'm still pissed at Ange for getting them killed. And I don't like the fact she's been put in that machine. But I'm not going to let anyone in this squad die because of some petty grudge.

"Just stop messing with Ange. I'll step in more personally if I have to." Salia said.

"That girl treats us like shit!" Hilda yelled. "And you two are taking _her _side?!" Salia's glare narrowed.

"That's an order."

"Alright, Captain." Hilda huffed and picked her gun off the ground, stowing it in its holster as she went for the door. "You two, let's go."

"Sorry about that." Alain picked up Salia's knife and returned it to her.

"It's fine." Salia said. "It was my fault for letting her get to me." Alain guessed he couldn't blame her. Hilda was about as good at getting under people's skin as Maggie was. But where Maggie had a certain playfulness about it, Hilda's was caustic and biting. She hadn't always been like that though. When they'd been kids, he couldn't really have said they were best friends, but they could get along. But then she became part of Zola's circle, and it was like her personality changed overnight.

It didn't seem like they'd be getting much of anywhere today.

* * *

As they followed Hilda through the hall, Rosalie and Chris were wondering what her deal was. Especially with her snapping at Alain in particular. The two had it rocky for years sure, but the way Hilda had singled him out went beyond that.

"Don't you two know not to start something you can't finish?" Hilda lectured with a backwards glance.

"If you were watching from the side you could've helped us." Rosalie replied, Chris nodding. Hilda smirked and held up the key in her hand.

"Well I've had my own plans.

"Hey…" Chris murmured. "Isn't that…?" A short while later, they found themselves at the place they'd spent more time in than their own dorms. Zola's quarters were as much a testament to her skill as it was to their hedonism. And Zola had spared no expense in being able to live as comfortably as possible. A king sized bed that took up a quarter of the room next to the equally large hot tub. Bottles of win sat on a mahogany cabinet next to a velvet sofa set against a wall that hadn't just been fully plastered but painted as well. And from the ceiling hung a gold plated chandelier bathed the room in a warm glow.

"Haven't been here in a while." Rosalie commented. "I missed this room." As rough a lover Zola had been, the former captain had always been kind to them in her own way. With tears in her eyes, Chris approached the pin board hanging from the wall. Dozens of pictures hung from it, in particular one showing Zola arm in arm with the three of them. Most were of them and Zola. But there were some of Norma they weren't familiar with, including one of a younger Zola with the current members of Garm from long before they were pilots. Including Alain. It was almost odd to see a picture from a time where he and Zola weren't going at each other. Why couldn't things have just stayed how it was when they were kids?

"Captain." Chris sniffled as she looked at the pictures. "I'm sorry, we tried to avenge you but we couldn't."

"Quit crying Chris." Hilda ordered from where she sat on the bed. "Just leave everything to me from now on. After all, everything Zola left behind belongs to me now." Rosalie and Chris looked to each other in shock as Hilda approached Rosalie. Before the buxom orange hair could response, Hilda cupped her face and kissed her. Rosalie's eyes widened in response for a moment before she gave in and leaned into it.

"Hilda." Chris gasped.

"I bought everything." Hilda continued as she stepped to Chris and cupped her chin. "Everything that Zola owned is now mine. Understood?"

"Y-Yes." Chris blushed.

* * *

Hilda had hoped that being the dominant for once might give her some kind of satisfaction, but she still felt the same sense of emptiness she had with Zola. She glanced over to Rosalie and Chris sleeping in each other's arms. Salia and Ersha, she had to wonder if that was how those two felt when they laid down with Alain. It was one of the things that drover her crazy about him. They didn't have to sleep with him to ensure his loyalty and protection. How could he give it so freely?

Climbing out of the bed, Hilda went to the barred window and looked out over the moonlit water, the cold night air raising goosebumps across her naked body. Hilda wondered if _that _person was looking at the moon and thinking of her too. In her hand, Hilda looked to the prosthetic eye she held. When they had taken Zola's remains away for burial, it had been left behind and Hilda collected it before it could be disposed of. When she'd first joined Garm, a Brig had nearly gotten her before Zola had pushed her out of the way, but she'd lost her right eye as a result. She'd always looked out for them, and now she was gone because of that selfish bitch.

"You know, there was a time I think I really loved you, Zola." As much as she hated the things she'd had to do, Hilda had to admit it hadn't been all bad. Balling her hand, she pitched the fake eye out of the window, and it disappeared under the waves with a soft splash. It was time to get to work.

* * *

Alain peered out from a corner as the maintenance bay finally went quiet. He'd been waiting for a while for the Armorers to finish their work, and once Mei was gone he'd had his chance. With the tracker in hand, Alain stepped out towards Villkiss.

"Hey there big guy, sorry to intrude on you like this." Clambering up top, Alain flipped the release and dropped into the cockpit. Leaning around the seat, he ducked under the main console and found an out of sight panel. A quick twist locked the tracker on it, and a tap turned it on. "Wyvern, how's the signal?"

"_Confirmed. Might I inquire why you feel the need to attach the tracker?" _Alain clambered out and glanced back at Villkiss.

"Better to be safe than sorry. Now c'mon, let's get out of here before the guards come around." Alain made a mental note to be sure to thank the other guys the next time he was out.

As Alain left the bay, what he didn't see was a head of red hair peeking out from the other corner. Hilda's smirk widened as she leaned out and stepped to the Villkiss herself. She hadn't been expecting she would _also _get a chance to mess with Alain. _'Two birds with one stone.' _she thought.

* * *

The order to sortie came bright and early the following day before the sun even cleared the horizon. Despite her less than restful sleep, Ange leapt from her bed and raced to the locker room. _"Issuing a first encounter alert." _The command tower broadcast. _"Garm squadron, prepare to launch." _Following a quick suit up, Ange arrived at the launch deck just as the Para-mail were being taxied to formation.

"Everyone mount up!" Salia ordered. With the signal given, the members of Garm shot off to their machines save for one. Behind Ange, Alain half shambled towards Wyvern with a yawn, and Ange shot him a disdainful look. How could he be so casual at a time like this? Well whatever. As long as he kept out of her way, she didn't really care. Climbing onto Villkiss, Ange dropped into the cockpit and cried out when something stuck her rear. Reaching down, Ange grumbled as she pulled out a thumbtack that had stuck itself in her rear.

"Idiots." Ange grumbled as she stood up and tossed the pin out onto the cockpit. She had just settled in when Mei's face appeared on her left console.

"Ange, your final checks!" Mei shouted. "PMA exterior armor normal. How's the interior?" Ange grumbled as she tapped her console.

"Yeah yeah, they're fine!" She didn't have the patience for this right now.

"Final preparations complete!" Salia announced. "Garm Squadron, launch!" The units in front of Ange lifted off the tarmac and shot out of the hangar until only Villkiss and Wyvern remained.

"Unit Ange, taking off." Ange and Alain brought up the rear of the team as they left. Once the unit was clear of Arzenal, Garm lined up in their usual formation. Ange took center behind Salia while Alain followed behind her. All the better for him to keep an eye on Hilda who was bringing up starboard while blocking of Chris and Rosalie.

_"Distance to Singular: 12,000." _Pamela declared over the line.

"Roger, all units, release safeties." Salia ordered. With Alain keeping an eye on Ange, Salia didn't have many concerns about what could happen during the fight. But yesterday's events left Salia wary of Hilda and company potentially trying something again. Ahead, the sky began to pulse and crack and Salia shoved those thoughts aside for later. "The doors opening!" No sooner had she said so that the Singular popped open and a swarm of Schooners poured out of it. "All units fire!" Cannon and machine gun fire carving up the forward swarm, and in something Salia should have seen coming, Ange broke formation immediately to rush ahead of them all.

"Dammit! Princess don't rush ahead!" Salia barked. Ange clearly didn't care as she swooped through the swarm "Trigger!"

"Cover me, I'll get her." Gunning Wyvern's throttle, Alain split off from the group and after Ange. _'When we're back to base I am gonna smack some sense into her.' _He vowed.

_"Alain, watch out." _Wyvern warned. _"Barrage incoming." _No sooner had the AI given the alter had a swarm of scales come flying out of the singular.

"Shit! Brig incoming!" Alain and the rest of Garm spread wide to avoid being shredded as a purple Brig emerged from the singular. Ange however, continued her charge. She was about to shift Villkiss to Destroyer Mode when it suddenly jolted on her. Black smoke poured from the forward vents as she tried to adjust herself, and the machine began to plunge towards the sea.

"Whoa, Ange!" Vivian called out. Alain turned to go after her, but the Brig's barrage demanded his concentration just to keep from being shredded.

"What are you doing, get your machine under control!" Salia yelled. _'What do you think I'm trying to do?!' _Ange griped as she wrestled with her controls.

"Want some help?" Ange looked up and saw Hilda's Glaive alongside her. As the red-head's face appeared on her screen, the smirk Hilda had told Ange all she needed to know.

"Get lost bitch!" Ange snapped. Hilda obliged her and veered away. Finally, Ange was able to transform Villkiss and at least slow her descent when one of the Schooners charged in from above and slammed right into her. The impact sent Villkiss and the Schooner spiraling down before they crashed into the surf.

"Villkiss!" Salia was quick to veer off when she saw the splashdown.

"Teach watch out!" Ersha called out. A sudden roar, and Salia juked to the side, barely avoiding the Brig as it attempted to snap her up in it's jaws. As much as she hated to admit it, they couldn't do anything for Ange until they dealt with the DRAGONs. Ange would have to fend for herself in the meantime.

"All units target the Brig!" She ordered. "Trigger on me!"

"Yes ma'am!" Alain responded. Taking position at Salia's port side, the two captains started a strafing run against the Brig, though Alain cast a glance sideways to where Villkiss was still floundering. Despite the size difference, Para-mail weren't designed to be submersible and the Schooner had a firm grip on top of it. At least he'd had the foresight to install the tracker.

Ange wasn't faring so well however. In addition to the Schooner thrashing on top of her, water was beginning to fill into the cockpit. _'Dammit, I can't just die like this!' _she thought, the water rising above her head and things going black…


	9. Chapter 8: Ange Lost

Rondo in the Endless Sky

**Chapter 8: Ange Lost**

With one more defiant screech, the Brig fell into the water with spikes of ice bursting from it as Garm pulled away and a pillar of ice burst from the water. Alain looked around as Wyvern went into a hover, but he didn't see a sign of Villkiss. It must have already sunken below the surf, and was either sinking to the abyss or had found itself caught in a current. There was plenty of islands near their current location, so the odds were in their favor that it would wash up somewhere.

"_Good work." _Jill said. Alain started tapping away at his console. If he hurried he may just be able to retrieve it. _"All units return to base."_

"Commander." Sali interrupted. "The Vill-I mean, Princess's unit hasn't necessarily been destroyed. We should search for and retrieve it immediately."

"You're kidding." Hilda said, pulling alongside Salia as the squad shifted to flight mode. "We're exhausted from the fight and don't have enough fuel. And you're telling us to look for Princess and that cruddy machine?"

"_Count's right." _Jill said. _"We'll send out a recovery team later. All units return immediately. That includes you Trigger."_

"Yes ma'am." Alain replied. Considering Wyvern's engines, he could very easily stay behind to search around the local area for Villkiss. But since it wasn't like he was any safer from taking on water it wouldn't serve a purpose. His best option was to wait and head out with the recovery team once he pinned down the tracker's signal.

As fate would have it, a problem arose immediately as they were flying back and Alain was continuing to search for the signal. When he'd gotten the tracker, he'd been told it was sturdy enough to handle anything short of an outright gunshot, so he knew that it'd be fine even if Villkiss had taken on water. But as he switched one of his screens to an area radar all that pinged for him were the IFFs for Garm Squadron's Para-mails.

"Wyvern, is something up?" Alain tapped at the screen as he switched to auto pilot. There was no way the thing could have been broken.

"_Negative. All scans indicate the tracker simply isn't active."_

"How?! I made sure it was on when I installed it, and no way Ange found it. So why did…" Then it hit him. Mei's work ethic was unmatched. She'd never send a unit out unless it was in top condition. And yet the Villkiss had gone down like something blew something in it's internals. That meant one thing: _Someone _had to have sabotaged the Villkiss. And on top of that, they somehow found out about his tracker as well. _'But how?!' _he wondered._ 'I never told anyone I had that! Not even Jill! So how did… wait, did someone see me last night? Who?!'_

The answer was obvious. Alain's eyes drifted across the formation, stopping at the red Glaive to his right. He couldn't say anything without evidence but his instincts told him he was right. Hilda was crafty, and she no doubt had been a lot more thoughtful then Rosalie and Chris on how she'd get revenge on Ange. There wasn't really any other subject _'Dammit… this is gonna make things a lot nastier. I'll need to play it safe. I hope Ange gets lucky. If all else fails, I'll go see Tusk and get his help.'_

* * *

On the rocks overlooking a crystal clear lagoon, a lone figure sat with a fishing rod in hand. It finally began to twitch, and with a snap of his wrist, Tusk flicked his rod up and set the hook as a mullet came out flopping on the rock beside him. Lanky and wiry with a mop of shaggy brown hair, the young man gathered up his catch and headed for his shelter. It was on days like this, with the mid-day sun beating down and the loneliness of the island he called home became more prominent, that his daily routine ground into a crushing weight. _'What am I doing?' _he thought with a sigh. _'Day in and day out is just the same thing over and over. It feels like I could be doing more, but nothing would change.' _Best to just head home and try to forget about it.

As he made his way along the jungle path, something gleamed through a gap in the brush. _'That wasn't water.' _He thought. The sheen had been more metallic. Must have been another Para-mail from Arzenal. They washed up here often enough. Tusk figured he might as well check it out. He could see what parts were salvageable, give what was left of the pilot a proper burial. But when he stepped out from the brush onto the beach, he couldn't believe his eyes.

"It can't be… Villkiss?!" Tusk's arms went slack from the shock, his catch and fishing rod falling to the sand. He rubbed his eyes and even slapped himself a couple of times to make sure he hadn't finally gone crazy from the years of isolation. And when he looked it, it was still there. In a daze, he stumbled forward until he suddenly broke out into a full run. Despite the machine still being slick from the seawater he managed to scramble up top. His hand trembling like a leaf, he threw the emergency release. "Hey!" he shouted as the hatch flew open. "Alektra, is that you?!" No, whoever was in there was too small to be Alektra. Dropping into the cockpit, Tusk's eyes took a moment to adjust, and he gasped a bit when he saw the pilot. The girl couldn't have been any older than he was. Her cropped blonde hair, left soaked by the water, fell about her delicate face like strands of gold. Tusk checked her wrist and let out a sigh of relief when he felt a pulse.

'_What should I do?' _He wondered. If this girl could pilot Villkiss then he needed to contact Jill or Alain and let them know she was alright. But as he looked at her, something made him hesitate. Something about the way she looked in her sleep. It wasn't a peaceful rest, rather it looked like she was in pain and just on the verge of giving up. "Guess I'll wait for her to wake up and see what she wants to do." A decision if ever there was one to be made. He carefully undid the seatbelts and hoisted the girl over his shoulder, pausing a moment as he felt her breasts press into his back as he climbed out. He was _really _starting to rethink how well this isolation was doing him. Once back on the sand, Tusk spared a look at the gashes along Villkiss's hull. _'Hope whatever made those is long gone.' _He prayed. On occasional, he would see fights between Para-mail and DRAGONs out over the sea. The last thing he wanted was to see one up close and personal.

* * *

The last thing Ange remembered was Villkiss's cockpit filling with water and the Schooner thrashing on top of it. _'Am I dead?' _she wondered. As feeling returned to her, Ange felt like her arms were stretched above her head. Not her usual sleeping position. And why couldn't she pull them back down? Plus, there was some kind of weight across her chest. _'Did those idiots do something again?'_

As her eyes opened, Ange blinked her vision clear. But rather than the cracked plaster of her dorm, she found herself in some kind of cave. It was then she noticed the thin leather straps securing her wrists, to a makeshift headboard made of thin branches. But nothing could have prepared her for what she saw next. Feeling some kind of warm, rhythmic wind against her face, Ange looked to the side, her eyes going wide at the sight of a teenaged boy laying next to her, his arm draped across her chest. And to make matters worse, her plug suit and ceramic armor had been stripped off of her, leaving her with nothing but the bed sheet over the both of them preserving her modesty.

"Ehhhhh?!" Her shocked scream echoed through the room, and the boy flinched a bit as he sat up. For several awkward seconds, they couldn't do a thing but stare at each other.

"Sorry." He said, jumping off the bed. "I tied you up just to be safe." Ange scanned around to get a better idea of her surroundings. Most of the furniture looked like it was made of tree trunks and branches. A clay stove sat near a table, one which had her equipment on top of it. Her captor meanwhile had gathered something from a pot on the stove and was walking back. "So, why are you…" he didn't even have time to finish the sentence before one of his feet caught a nearby bottle, and he pitched forward with an alarmed cry. Ange's face went bright red as by some sick joke of the heavens, the boy face planted right into her crotch.

"Sorry, I-"

"No!" Ange screeched as she lashed out. Her knee slammed across the boy's across the face, stunning him long enough for Ange to get her legs under him and toss him over her, sending him right through the headboard. Now that she was free, Ange snapped the ropes and shot off the bed, grabbing her things, dashing out of the shelter as she threw her boots on. _'Where am I? How did this…' _then she remembered. During the last mission, Villkiss shorting out on her, and Hilda and her mocking expression. Ange made sure to make a note to get back at Hilda threefold once she got back. After putting some distance between herself and the perverts cave, Ange dressed herself and followed the sound of waves until she reached a beach. To her relief, Villkiss was sprawled out on the sand, half of it submerged in the surf. She climbed up and dropped into the pilot's seat through the still opened hatch. She pressed the activation key, but the machine refused to star. She gave a few more frustrated pressed, but still nothing occurred.

"Why won't it move?" She climbed out and noticed the forward vents were covered in soot. That couldn't have been normal. Upon reaching in, her hand found a clump of something singed but still soft. Ange pulled the clump out, multiple pieces of girl's underwear falling to the sand. In her hand was a red set of bra and panties, and she already knew who the owner was. The image of Hilda's snide face came to mind, and all the anger and frustration Ange felt came broiling over. "Damn, damn, damn!" she cursed as she tore the underwear apart and stamped it into the sand. "You… you bitch!"

"How could you do that?" someone said. As if to make her day worse, the pervert boy had caught up to her, still rubbing the spot he'd been hit. "I saved your life back there! Why'd you go and…" before he could finish, Ange whipped her pistol out and fired at his feet, making him leap back.

"Don't you come closer!" Ange yelled. "Do it and I'll shoot!"

"Just take it easy! I swear I'm not going to hurt you!" He said. "Besides, you already shot at me!"

"You bound me, stripped me, and groped me!" Ange said, her arm shaking in rage.

"L-Like I said, I… okay I'll admit that's fair."

"And I bet you would've done more!" Ange accused. Tusk sighed. "What other filthy and perverted things were you planning to do to me huh?!"

"Cut me a break." The young man put a hand to his head. "You don't seriously think I'd feel up an unconscious girl's shapely breasts, or taste every inch of her vulnerable body, or use her to admire the mysterious female figure?" Ange's face got progressively redder the further he went on. Did this guy not know when to shut up?! "Do I look like I would do that sort of thing?"

"You _would _do that sort of thing?!" Ange yelled. She wasn't taking chances, and started walking forward. "You filthy damned… I should shoot you right now!"

"Like I said I was trying to help you!" And because Tusk's attention was so focused on the girl holding the gun before him, he didn't even see the crab until it reached out and pinched his toe. With another yelp, he fell forward and right onto Ange again. Something warm pressed on his face and a scent far from unpleasant filled his nose. He opened his eyes, and to his horror he'd _again _found himself with his face in Ange's crotch.

A few gunshots and one very angry chase later, Tusk had found himself bound to one of the trees by some vines as the girl stormed off in a huff.

"You can just hang there and rot you sick freak!"

"Come on!" he begged. "I swear it was an accident!"

* * *

As soon as they'd returned, Alain and Salia had immediately been called to Jill's office. Villkiss's sudden malfunction was plenty cause for concern, and while the plan to recover it was in motion there was still plenty to discuss after the debriefing.

"We had just found someone to pilot it too." Jasmine sighed as she kept a hand on Vulcan's head.

"But why?!" Mei cried as she pounded a fist to a palm. "The machine was in perfect shape! Why did it go down?" _'I've got a pretty solid idea.' _Alain thought. But, throwing out a baseless accusation wouldn't help anything here.

"We can think about that later." Salia said. "For now, We need to focus on recovering it." _'Would be easier if that damn tracker worked! That thing cost me an arm and a leg to convince that shrewd bastard to hand it off!' _Salia caught a glimpse of Alain's shifting expressions and wondered just what was going through his head. He clearly knew something they didn't, but wasn't saying anything for some reason.

"You're right." Mei agreed. "I'll form a recovery group right away."

"And Ange." Jill said. "Retrieve her as well. If she's dead, then bring me her corpse."

"I'll follow the recovery team." Alain said. "Wyvern has a larger range than the transpot and it's faster. I can scout the islands in that quadrant and see if it washed up anywhere."

"Good plan!" Mei said. "We'll search the area too. If you find Villkiss and Ange ahead of us then radio in!" Alain shot Mei a thumbs up before glancing over to Salia. The troubled look she wore was telling him plenty. _'I seriously need to do something to help her get over it. But, it doesn't help with Jill as part of the problem.'_

* * *

Alain was still going over those thoughts as he was preparing Wyvern to go alongside the recovery team. The heavy VTOL craft they'd be using roared like a hurricane as it's rotors spun, a noise Alain was thankfully spared from in the sound-enclosed comfort of his cockpit. The rear section of the recovery craft was big enough to house a flight-mode Para-mail with room for personnel to spare though it was a rare day they brought in a full machine. Mostly the ones they collected were just piles of scrap.

"Heyyy! Alain!" Vivian's voice called. "Big Bro open up!" Alain looked to the monitor and saw the vermillion haired girl tapping the side of the craft along with Ersha who carrying a basket and thermos. Alain opened the cockpit and stood up so he could lean on the edge as he looked over.

"What are you two doing out here?" He asked.

"You guys are going on recovery yeah?" Vivian asked. "We're gonna head out too!"

"You two just got back from a mission." Alain reminded them. "Besides, Salia's already tagging along to supervise things. You should stay here and rest, maybe enjoy some of that reward money."

"Yeah but she'll die if we don't hurry!" Vivian said. "Ange is alive, I know it! My nose is never wrong!"

"We'll need to find her quickly of course." Ersha held up the basket in her arms. "She's definitely hungry don't you think? Be sure not to fall behind us!"

"Come on let's book!" Vivian ran off with Ersha following behind.

"I'm going ahead of you lot for the record!" He shouted as he dropped back into the cockpit. "At least I can always count on them for help."

"_I already have a plan for the search operation drafted out." _Wyvern said, Alain drawing his gaze to the console as its image changed to one of a digital recreation of the sector Villkiss went down in. _"If Villkiss were to have drifted off then possible sites where it could have been washed up have been marked. I suggest we check the most likely locations first and continue from there. Without the aid of the tracker, we'll need to rely on visual confirmation."_

"And with all the damage and water it took on, I think it's safe to assume there won't be any contacting Ange by radio." Alain lowered his visor and tapped a finger across the screen. His eyes perked up as the image moved to one of the marked islands, which was notably bigger than many of the others, but also _much _further away from the incursion zone. It was an island he knew quite well. "You marked Tusk's place? It's so far out of the way though."

"_Yes but I kept it in mind as a possibility. I assumed if we ran out of options you would wish to seek his aide, so I marked it as a possible location. And it is not impossible for Villkiss to have landed there. Depending on how deep it sunk, the possibility stands Villkiss could have been caught in a deep water current that would bring it right to this location."_

"You know me that well huh?"

"_I have known you your entire life. It is only reasonable that I would have a handle of your behavioral patterns." _

"Would it kill ya' _not _to sound weird about it?"

"_Not possible. Doing so would require lowering my vocal abilities to your level." _The insult the AI threw out got Alain to crick a brow. The thing had some nerve for sure.

"You're an ass sometimes, y'know that?" Alain did have to admit however, it was impressive the AI had learned how to toss out casual insults like that. For a machine that just as frequently blew off his sarcastic remarks, getting jabs like that thrown at him was at least a good sign it was learning _something. _Even if it came at his own expense. "But damn if we're not friends. Alright then, let's get searching!"

* * *

Aside from the day her mother died, today was the worst day of Ange's life. Nearly killed by that red-haired bitch, then getting felt up by that pervert, and now she couldn't even get Villkiss to start up. Heck, it'd make her day if she could just get the radio working. But dark clouds were starting to roll in overhead and the tide was rising.

"Why don't they even pack emergency rations?" All the cockpit had in it for any other event was a mount for her assault rifle. "A coffin for Norma huh?" As she was giving up, Ange felt something splash her leg, looking down to see water had seeped back into the cockpit. Climbing out, she looked over the edge and saw that the tide had risen and was starting to edge over the cockpit. "Oh come on!" Was it too much to ask for _one _thing to go right today?

Ange jumped out and waded onto the beach as the clouds finally broke and began to pour rain down on her while thunder boomed. She felt more than a little aimless as she wandered through the forest. She had to at least find some kind of shelter and bide her time. _'If only this darn suit covered more.' _At least she could spare herself a snide thought like that. A crack of lightning that was _far _too close made her flinch, a tree right before her getting split in half by the bolt. Ange looked around, and found a nearby tree that conveniently made a small hollow. It wasn't much but shelter was shelter, even if now the constant rain was starting to make her shudder from the cold.

"Ow!" A sudden pain like two needles made her jump, and she looked down to see a snake dangling from where it had bitten into her exposed thigh. Whacking the animal off, she kicked it into the brush. She ran back out into the storm, but it wasn't long before she started limping. Her leg began to feel numb and a burning sensation began to spread through her. It only got worse the further she went. Where had she even ended up now? She'd lost her way back somewhere, but her mind felt so clouded she had no idea where she was anymore. _'How far back is the beach now? Maybe… if I can find it… I can hunker down in that guy's cave… where did I leave him anyway?' _she didn't know why her mind was running all over the place now. She just knew she felt tired and numbed all over.

"Someone…" Ange whispered as she finally gave up and collapsed onto the muddy ground. "No… nobody's coming. Nobody cares." She heard someone's voice, but her mind was too foggy to make it out. Through the rain and the haze, she was barely able to make out something hanging from a tree. It was someone, at the least. "Help…" Ange begged as she finally began to black out. "Help… me…"

* * *

"Oh great." Tusk hung his head as the rain finally started coming in. It wasn't like he couldn't have gotten out of the vines by now, but something told him he'd be safer if he stayed where he was. That girl could pilot Villkiss, which meant a lot of things. _'I wonder what Alain thinks about all of it. He inherited Wyvern after all. If I get a chance I should check Villkiss over. Knowing him Alain may have snuck something into it.'_

The vines were starting to get uncomfortable as they got soaked. But, that at least meant he'd have an easier time getting out of them. It was around the time he finally got to wriggling his arms around to get his knife that the girl who'd attacked him came shambling down the path. She looked totally out of it and was limping along like something had injured her leg. On top of that she was breathing heavily. She stopped just as she got close to the tree Tusk was suspended from and collapsed. She shifted a bit while mumbling something, and while she ended up looking at Tusk, her eyes looked like they were completely elsewhere.

"Hey, are you okay?" Tusk asked. She didn't seem well _at all. _She'd gone sheet white and looked even worse than when he'd found her.

"Help…" the girl reached a hand out, but it slipped as her body went slack. "Help… me…"

"Crap!" Tusk hurried to grab his knife and slash himself free of the vines. He ran over to the girl and lifted her up. Her breathing was shallow, and her pulse was irregular. On a hunch, Tusk checked her over and confirmed his suspicion. On her inner right thigh, a swelling bruise around a pair of still bleeding puncture wounds. _'She's been bitten. It doesn't look like the venom's spread too far, so I should be able to get most of it out.'_

Removing his shirt so he could set the girl's head on something soft and got to work. The girl made pained sounds as he pressed his mouth to the wound and sucked out the blood he could. Once that was done, he picked her up and made a run for his shelter. When he was back at the shelter, he made sure to administer some of his homemade antidote and dressed the wound. Luckily for him his uncle Hannibal had taught him how to make anti-venom, or else he'd have probably never survived his first few years on this island. Still, it'd be some time before she fully recovered, and he'd have to keep her temperature stable. As he wiped her down, his eyes caught the ring on her finger. It was all the further proof he needed of her ability to pilot Villkiss, but it also brought unpleasant memories with it.

He still remembered what he'd seen ten years ago. Everything in flames with the ruins of battle around him, the lifeless bodies of his parents, the stern face of the girl who'd been meant to lead them to freedom left battered and wounded, and the Villkiss, the blade meant to achieve that freedom, left without someone to properly use it. _'Libertus… could Alektra really be planning it again? I'll definitely need to give Villkiss a look over. Alain stayed behind at Arzenal for a reason… he'd know about this. And he's not the kind to go without a plan for something like this.' _Tusk gave a sigh as he looked out of the cave and at the starry sky above. If things really did begin to change, where would that place him? _'Alain took his place as Wyvern's Rider… but me? I'm a coward who just ran away.'_

* * *

Whatever had happened after she passed out, Ange certainly didn't feel well once she finally woke back up. Groaning as she pried her eyes open, she found herself in the pervert's cave again. Her leg felt both sore and numb. As did the rest of her body. Just trying to sit up on the bed took all her strength.

"You shouldn't force yourself." Ange looked up, and the pervert was stirring a pot set on the stove. "I sucked out the venom and gave you an antidote, but your body is still going to be numb for a while." Ange looked down at herself and gave an angry glare when she saw that rather than her plug suit, she was in a rather loose shirt. "Cut me a break." He sighed. "Just so you know I'd never do anything perverted to a girl who couldn't move." Spooning some of the pot's contents into a bowl he came over and sat in a chair set next to the bed. Though she hated to admit it, Ange was hungry and whatever he had made certainly smelled better than whatever passed for good at Arzenal. "You might not have made it if you hadn't stumbled onto where you left me earlier. You should learn not to go running through the forest half naked."

"Don't patronize me." Ange grumbled. "Besides, I don't need your help."

"Yeah yeah." The boy took a spoon of what he'd made and held it up. "Here."

"What?"

"Just eat. I'm sure you haven't had anything since you arrived so you've gotta be hungry."

"I don't want it." Ange pulled back as the spoon was moved closer. It was some kind of soup, and she couldn't tell what the chunk that was in it even was. Some kind of meat? "I don't even know what it is!" But her stomach betrayed her by loudly growling.

"I promise there's nothing weird in it. So just have some."

"Fine." Ange opened her mouth with a bit of hesitance. The taste was odd but still better than Arzenal's food. "It tastes bad." Despite her comment, Ange opened her mouth again for more.

"Glad you like it." The young man said. "It's sea snake soup." Ange's eyes went wide and she quickly downed what she had in her mouth. Between that and the viper, she didn't think she'd be too fond of snakes from now on. "So, do you trust me a bit now? Hopefully you won't punch me, shoot at me, or tie me up from now on."

"I'll think about it." After another mouthful, a thought occur. Ange shifted the blanket and looked at the bandage around her thigh.

"What's wrong, does it hurt?"

"You said you sucked out the venom, right?"

"Well yeah."

"With your mouth?"

"Right."

"From here?"

"Well, what else would I have-oh." The pervert had a concerned look of realization hit him. Ange's face started to burn and she lunged at him. "Owwww! What the hell?!"

"I NEVER SAID I WOULDN'T BITE YOU!"


	10. Chapter 9: Discord in Blue

_Rondo in the Endless Sky_

**Chapter 9: Discord in Blue**

"And that marks off the last one for today." Alain leaned back in his seat as the last of the islands was cleared. While Wyvern could definitely move faster than the transport carrier, checking entire islands wasn't exactly a breeze. Add on the need to check said islands for each location Villkiss _could_ have washed up on it and a flyover could take a few seconds to a few minutes. "Damn I'm stiff…"

"_It would be wise not to spend too much time searching." _Wyvern said. _"We can resume tomorrow with the rest of the list. Unless you want to head to Tusk's island first."_

"May be a good idea. Odds of Villkiss being there are low _but _getting him to help out sooner rather than later would be more efficient." Alain stretched his arms as much as the space in the cockpit would allow. "So whaddya say, a few more before the recovery team radios in that they're setting down for the day?"

"_Affirmative. I suggest we head to Area B7R next. It's almost as far out as Tusk's island but has an equal chance of Villkiss having washed up there."_

"The Round Table? Hmm… well that place does have that wonky magnetic field. If Ange washed up there her radio would be out for sure even if Villkiss was working. It's worth checking out." As Alain veered Wyvern off to head off, he made sure to send a message out to the transport. The last thing Arzenal needed was _two _pilots going missing.

* * *

By the time the sun was painting the sky orange, the transport needed to return to Arzenal. They were lucky Alain was well ahead of them to check the furthest out islands to save them time and fuel. And even with a full tank the transport only got so far. Just one of the insurances Arzenal had to ensure none of the Norma escaped. None of the vehicles provided to the Norma had a chance of flying far enough to make it out of the sector their "home" was in thanks purely to their need for fuel. Wyvern was perhaps the sole exception, but its actual abilities were a closely guarded secret to those among Jill's most trusted.

"Thirty minutes until refueling is done!"

"Too slow, do it in fifteen!" Mei was sharp as ever in commanding her people. Ersha knew the girl would grow up well, and despite her age she did well as the Armorer's leader, especially since she'd had a hand in raising the girl some years ago.

'_B7R… I swear, sometimes it feels like Alain just wants to stay in the sky.' _Ersha also ruminated on the message they'd gotten while returning. Of all the places to check, it had to be one of the furthest out islands they could possibly reach with the transport. Ersha knew he loved flying but even he had to take a break at some point didn't he?

"You seem pretty eager to help out." Someone commented. Ersha looked up as Hilda approached from around the bend.

"Hilda." Ersha greeted.

"I don't get it." Hilda leaned up against the wall, folding her arms. "Why are you trying to help that bitch? I know you're a mother hen but seriously?"

"I know you girls can't forgive Ange." And in a rare moment, Ersha dropped her usual calm smile for a much sterner expression. "And that you'd like nothing more than to shoot her down." Hilda gave a smug huff. "But someone has to accept her, or else she'll always be alone. That would be rather lonely, wouldn't it? We're all Norma after all." Hilda looked away with a grumble as Ersha flashed her that ever kind smile. "Also, Ange is a lot like how you used to be. That's why I just can't leave her alone. And why I think Alain can't either."

"That bitch?" Hilda scoffed. "Like me? I might just put you on the shit list next if you keep that up."

"So it _was _you." Hilda flinched at realizing she'd waltzed right into a trap. Ersha always was a lot smarter than some gave her credit for. "There's another thing I'm curious about. I know you and Alain have never really gotten along, but you've been pretty hard on him since Zola died."

"He needs to learn not to be so cocky." Hilda stuck her nose up. "Someone has to keep his ego in check since Zola isn't around anymore."

"But Zola never actually acted so harshly." Ersha replied. "They used to be the best of friends, practically siblings. Zola cared a lot about Alain, so even when she was scolding him, she did it because she cared. He knew that. But everything you've done towards him is like you're bearing a grudge. Like when you snapped at him when Salia told off Rosalie and Chris."

"Oh what, and he doesn't deserve it? He's an ass!"

"True, but he only acts that way because you do." Hilda growled at the reply. "You know well enough Alain gives what he gets. He treats people as they treat him. Besides, I remember back when we were kids he was the first one to try talking to you after you were brought here."

"I just don't like him. Unlike you I'm not willing to lower myself to jump his bones." Hilda got back to her snide look, but there was clearly a bit of a break in her usual airs. "I dkn't know what some of you even see in him. So what if he acts nice part of the time? Doesn't change the fact he's a jackass _and _a sleaze who'll basically sleep with any pretty face that asks. And you all act like idiots because he's the only one here with a dick."

"Is that the truth or just what you're telling yourself?" Ersha's question felt a lot more piercing than Hilda expected. "If you took a bit longer to look past those rumors you'd see more. Alain is someone with a heart that belongs in the sky… he's free because that's how he feels, regardless of the fact we're here on Arzenal. And do you want to know something?" Hilda was about to storm off, but almost felt now she _had _to hear this. "Around ten years ago, a few months before you arrived, a lot happened. Alain could have actually left with some people we knew at the time. I don't remember a lot about then, but I do remember this: Alain is here because he wants to be. He's here because of us. Even if he doesn't always get along with everybody, he'll look out for every Norma in Arzenal. Even the ones who don't like him."

"Whatever. Have fun wasting your time looking for Ange." Hilda stormed off as Vivian came back while chanting.

"Huh, Hilda?" Vivian tilted her head as she watched the redhead leave, then looked to Ersha with a confused look. "What was that about? She looked mad."

"Oh we just had a bit of a chat." Ersha answered, ruffling Vivian's hair. "She's still sore about some things, especially in regards to Alain."

"Ehhh? I never got that. How come Hilda never gets along with Big Bro? He's nowhere near as bad as she acts like he is!" _'Bless you and your sweet soul.' _Ersha gave an amused sigh, ruffling the girl's head again.

"It's complicated. You'll find out more when you're older."

"Ehh? But I'm already fifteen!"

"Give it a couple more years."

* * *

Alain made sure he headed out bright and early when he left Arzenal. Most of the flight was over open ocean so it was a good chance to catch up on some missed sleep. He snapped out of his nap when Wyvern suddenly shook back and forth.

"Rude way to wake someone up!" Alain grabbed the controls and forced the machine to steady up. He was sure the AI would laugh if it was capable of it.

"_You're a heavy sleeper. I felt you would like to see what's on the south beach."_

"What washed-Oh." As fortune would have it, in the middle of a c-shaped cove, Villkiss lay half buried in the sands. Fortunately the cockpit was exposed so that was a good sign. As Wyvern moved in for a closer look, Alain caught sight of a blanket with some tools spread across it. Someone peered out of the cockpit as he flew overhead, and Alain gave a sigh of relief. If Tusk was working on Villkiss then that was an even better sign. "Let's pull around so you're out of view."

"_Affirmative." _Switching to hover mode, Alain pulled around to another side of the island, setting down on an end of the beach that would keep Wyvern concealed behind some rocks. After a short jog through the trees, Alain emerged back onto Villkiss's cove where Tusk was leaning against the machine waiting for him.

"I was wondering when you were going to show." Tusk said, flashing the very same tracker Alain had snuck into Villkiss. "Can't think of anyone else who'd have one of these."

"And that's why I put it in there." Alain said as he and Tusk tapped fists. "Would've been here sooner if the damn thing didn't get turned off for some reason."

"Considering where you shoved it, I'm surprised someone even found it." Alain and Tusk had enough of a history with one another that one would have thought they were brothers. But the failure of the first Libertus had led them down different paths. While Alain had stayed on Arzenal, Tusk had left with others at the time and in the end found himself on this island. Despite that, Alain made an effort to visit whenever he could, though he wondered at times just what it would take to get Tusk back in the fight. Surely Tusk knew there were other and better ways to live than just sit around and occasionally sell off salvaged Para-mail parts to some other friends of theirs.

"So, how about this guy's pilot hmm?" Alain looked up at Villkiss and put a hand to the machine. _'Mei is gonna _flip _once this gets back home.'_

"She's fine, probably still sleeping." Tusk answered, placing his wrench onto his shoulder. "I was hoping to at least get Villkiss patched up a bit. Can't do a thing about the armor, but I thought I could at least get the drivetrain working so it'll turn on. Though if you found us, I guess that won't be needed huh?"

"Well…" Alain hummed as he glanced at Tusk. _'This may be the dumbest idea I've had in a long time.' _He thought._ 'But… it may just work. For both of them.' _Alain just felt this was something he had to trust his gut on. "Actually… I've got a proposition."

"What kind of proposition?"

"Four days. I'll give you four days to get Villkiss operational." Alain said. "So, spend a bit of time with the girl. She's been a pain in the ass ever since she arrived in Arzenal and she hasn't responded well to my approach to things. You might have more luck than me."

"Wait, what?!" Tusk gasped. "But aren't you looking for her under orders? Jill will be pissed if she finds out."

"Not if she never finds out. You don't say a thing and neither will I." Tusk's expression faltered as Alain gave that ever snide chuckle. "I already checked out as far as B7R for Villkiss, and there's still plenty of islands in the sector for them to check. You'll have the time. Besides, she's probably convinced no one is coming anyway."

"Maybe but… is it smart?"

"Probably not." Tusk almost fell over from the blunt confirmation. "So good luck. I'll see you in a few days!"

"Hey wait a second!" But as Tusk yelled after him, Alain was already dashing off into the woods. As Wyvern rose from behind the rocks and shot off, Tusk let out a sigh. _'He's as impulsive as ever. He could've at least hung around to talk a bit longer.' _But, not like he could change that. Better to just get back to working on Villkiss. Tusk popped open the hatch that would expose the internals of the forward vents, where it seemed most of the damage was. As he was working on that, the sound of some crunching sand caught his ear and he turned around to see pilot girl come into view, still limping a bit on her left leg. _'Alain could've also at least told me her name.' _Tusk thought. "How you feeling?"

"Better, thanks." Well at least she was in a better mood. Tusk turned back to his work as she sat down on the blanket, brushing aside some tools to make room. "What are you doing?"

"Repairs I guess." Tusk answered, fiddling with some of the burnt wiring. It at least looked workable. He'd seen worse.

"You can fix it? How?"

"Bits and pieces of Para-mail wash up here every now and again." He explained. "Sometimes whole units. I pretty much figured out how they work after messing around with them enough. Could you hand me that hex wrench?" As she handed the requested tool to Tusk, a look of realization flashed across her face.

"Why don't you just use Mana to move it?" That question brought Tusk to a pause. "You are a human, right? And what are you even doing out here anyway? Who are you?" Tusk pursed his lips as he thought of what he could tell her. She clearly didn't know everything about Villkiss or Libertus, else she'd likely be much more eager to get back to Arzenal. Plus, there were things he wasn't comfortable talking about.

"I'm Tusk." He finally answered. "I'm just Tusk, that's all."

"Yeah, but…"

"Aha! I knew this was the problem!" Thankfully he found a way to change the subject. "The output circuits are short. I can't get the thing running in full, but the radio will get working when I do. You can get ahold of your people then."

"Don't bother." She sighed, squatting back down onto the blanket. From where he stood, to Tusk she looked less like the wild girl who'd crashed into his life, and more like a lost child. "Even if we do, none of them are going to bother coming to get me. Even if I went back, no one would be waiting for me."

"Oh." Now Tusk was starting to see what Alain meant. Alain had mentioned her attitude bring a problem. Tusk didn't know a lot about Arzenal culture, but from what he picked up from Alain, he knew newcomers often had a hard time. It was likely she'd found herself rather isolated in her group. He had to wonder though, just what _this _girl had gone through that produced such a wistful look. "Well then, if you're okay with it, why not stay here for a while? I swear I won't do anything weird!"

"Well, I suppose." She broke the briefest of smiles. It was short lived, but it was an honest one. A look like that told Tusk there was no way she could be a bad person deep down. _'Maybe it's not as stupid an idea as he thought.'_

* * *

Alain gave a relaxed sigh as he leaned back in the outdoor bath. Of the amenities Arzenal had this one thing had to be one of the most generous the Norma had offered to them. He hadn't a clue where the idea for one in this style came from, but he wouldn't argue when it let him relax so easily.

"_Alain, I have a question." _Alain looked over Wyvern's propped up terminal as it pinged. _"Why not retrieve Villkiss and Ange? I fail to see the precise logic in your decision."_

"It's not really one I'd say is logical." Alain hummed as he grasped the longer portion of his hair, getting some of the water out before throwing it back. "I just think it may do some good for the both of them. Tusk needs some interaction with more than me and the guys from CROSS. Tusk is a helluva lot nicer than I am. So who knows?"

"_It is true that Ange's psychological profile has not improved. The reactions of other members of Garm Squadron have not aided in this." _Wyvern said. _"If this kind of discord continues, it may cause unity to break down. And, she may never be able to awaken Villkiss's true potential if she remains as such."_

"She has a ring, what else would she even need?" Alain asked, turning around and laying on his arms. "Would be so much more convenient if we could just get past it's system locks ourselves… same with you actually. Any progress on analyzing those files?"

"_Unfortunately, none." _Alain groaned at the response._ "Until the locks beyond what you have undone are cleared, I will not be able to dig further into whatever data is stored within my platform's quantum computer. For now, the ARISE System remains a mystery as to its function in relation to the particle engines." _

"And those are still problem number one." Alain leaned his head back with a sigh. "Mystery upon mystery. It's annoying." The sound of the door sliding open caught his ear. Alain craned his head around, and he had the same flinch as Hilda as their eyes met. _'Of all the people to come in here on her own right now.'_

"How rare." Hilda quickly got to her usual smirk. "I wondered if you ever came in here alone. I always assumed Ersha or Salia always preferred to keep you company."

"Funny." Alain scoffed. "Sometimes I like some privacy. Besides flying around for hours on end is more exhausting than it looks."

"Ohh? And I thought you couldn't get enough of flying." Hilda slid into the bath at the other end from Alain. Were Alain in a different mood he'd probably have stolen a glance at her. "Ersha had a fair bit to say about how you love being in the sky. What was it… oh yeah, "his heart belongs to the sky", ha! Talk about sappy!"

"What's your damage recently?" Alain felt a mental prick at the jab Hilda took. "I get holding a grudge against Ange after what happened, but at this point even I'm confused what the deal is towards me. I know we never get along but you've been way more of a bitch than usual."

"Aw what's the matter?" Hilda mock pouted. "Big strong Ace of Aces getting a little sensitive?" Alain wasn't buying the haughty attitude.

"Then explain the outburst the other day." Alain rolled a finger through some strands of his hair. "If you have something to tell me then why not here? I hear baths are an excellent place to air things out."

"Snide bastard." Hilda grumbled. "What I'm not getting is why _you _are so keen on finding Ange. If you dislike her as much as the rest of us, then why bother looking? You left pretty bright and early today. Was I right? You totally wanna hit that."

"You wish." Alain replied. "It has to do with a lot, alright? Things I'm not allowed to talk about openly. Besides, dealing with her reminds me of how you were when we were kids."

"Psh, you too?" Hilda growled. "As if that bitch and I are similar. What and how?"

"Let's see…" he counted off, "Both of you came to Arzenal late, were in serious denial about being Norma for the longest of times and didn't start shaping up a bit until almost getting your asses killed in a sortie. Both of you look down on others, be it in different ways, as just a few examples." Alain looked to Hilda more directly, and she notably flinched at the calm gaze he had. "But I wasn't asking about Ange earlier. As much as we ribbed each other you never took things this far. Honestly at times I thought it was friendly… but now it feels like you're trying too hard."

"Huh? The hell do you mean by that?" Hilda shifted to a glare as Alain sat straight up. "How _exactly _am I trying too hard?"

"Trying too hard to be someone else." Hilda flinched again. "I'm sure someone's already said it. Zola had her bad sides, but she always cared about others, and all her remarks were never meant in a bad way. It feels like you're trying to be the new Zola, but you're missing the fact she gave a damn about others no matter how they looked at her."

"And who are you to talk huh?" Hilda shot back. "People keep telling me you two used to be like siblings, but I don't buy that when all I saw was you two going at each other like you were ready to brawl. Who the hell are you to lecture _me _on things anyway? You've got some attitude problems yourself. Mister "high and mighty cause I'm the only one with a dick"! You drive me up the wall with that shit! Acting like a total ass and then turning around to lecture people."

"I'd be less of an ass if you'd cool off for five minutes." He countered. "I'm not gonna act like I haven't done things to deserve some of the stuff you throw my way. There's plenty of Norma who hate my guts for one reason or another. And you're right, maybe I don't have a place to be lecturing people. I just want some answers is all. What is it about me that you hate so much?"

"Can I say everything and get a pass?" Hilda said.

"Obviously I'm not getting anywhere with this." Alain sighed and pulled his bangs back. "Whatever. I'll at least say this: If you were in the same predicament as Ange, I'd be putting in the same amount of effort to look for you. And I'm sure the same goes for everyone else."

Hilda watched with narrowed eyes as Alain gathered his terminal and left. She may just have made the water a bit hotter from how much she felt like she was burning up now. _'That… ASS! Where does he get off saying shit like that?' _She fruitlessly kicked up some of the bathwater in her frustration. It always drove her up the wall. Not getting just why he so readily gave his loyalty to people, why they _didn't _have to effectively buy him out for it. Why he'd always rush to help them no matter what. Even those he was an ass towards. Nothing he did made sense and it pissed her off to no end.

"And then he pulls that kind of crap!" Hilda kicked a leg up again as she yelled. "God, I hate him! Heart belongs to the sky? Free because he wants to be? Where do they got off spouting that crap? What is it _about _him that makes them act that way?! Even Rosalie and Chris go stupid because of him!"

Then Hilda found herself thinking back to the other day. What Ersha had mentioned about him _choosing _to be on Arzenal. Apparently because of the Norma. That was even more puzzling. _'Why would _anybody _choose to stay here? He's gotta be insane to have chosen this kind of life.'_

* * *

For as hectic as it was in some ways, Ange felt she could say the past four days had been some of the best she'd had in a while. Sure, Tusk had more than once found his face to her crotch again, particularly when an attempt at cooking by her had gone horribly wrong. But she'd been treated better in the past while by this one random boy than she had from anyone else for over a month now. A few days where for the first time in a while, she just felt like a normal girl again. She even felt good enough to actually take a look up at the sky for the first time in ages. She'd followed Tusk up the river to a bank where he had a fish trap set up. The air was still rather fresh from a recent rainfall, and the freshly departed clouds left plenty to view as Ange sat down.

"I didn't think there were so many stars." She'd spent most of her life living in the shining capital of Misurugi as it was. Not exactly a location for stargazing.

"You never noticed?" Tusk asked, Ange shaking her head.

"I haven't looked up at the sky in a while." She replied. She couldn't help but show a smile as the brief flash of a shooting star streaked across the dark blue expanse. "It's so pretty." Tusk sat down next to her, and Ange looked over when he placed a hand over hers. Did all boys have hands that big?

"I think you're prettier." Ange felt her face warm up as Tusk's face flushed a bit. She certainly wouldn't say she _didn't _find him attractive by this point. Both began to lean inwards, closer and closer… but something caught Tusk's eye, and he suddenly lunged, pinning Ange beneath him.

"W-what's this?!" she gasped.

"Be quiet and stay down." Tusk whispered, pressing into Ange and keeping his head down. Since she was face upwards, it didn't take long for Ange to see what the problem was. In the sky above, several mana transports flew by, their searchlights scanning around for any movement. And suspended in the air by cables connected to each transport was a massive chunk of ice with something encased within.

"Is that a DRAGON?" Ange whispered. As the searchlights passed them by, she and Tusk got up for a better look, and Ange recognized the purple Galleion from her last sortie. "Where are they taking it? Why?" Tusk had a look that he was about to say something, but a sudden roar cut through the air. From the trees, a Schooner suddenly burst out. "That's-!"

It was the same Schooner that had nearly drowned Villkiss. It looked ragged and practically half-dead, but it still had enough strength to fly up to the transports. It roared again as the transports opened fire at it, and the vehicles ceased fire for a moment as the DRAGON's roar echoed, only to suddenly open fire on _themselves_. Each one went up in a ball of flames, falling from the sky alongside their payload, coming down right into the forest and exploding again, setting the entire forest ablaze.

"We need to run!" Tusk said, Ange nodding as he took her by the hand. As they dashed off, the Schooner came crashing down right in front of them. It shuddered up and roared at them, Ange responding by drawing her pistol and firing. Unfortunately, with all the times she'd shot at Tusk, Ange only got off two shots, and all they seemed to do was sting the DRAGON's chest. "A gun that size won't work!"

"Then what, we just let it eat us?!" The two dashed to the side as the Schooner charged, crashing into the ground as Ange had an idea come to her. "Villkiss! If we get it running, then I can take it down!"

"It's not fixed yet!" Tusk said.

"Then fix it now."

"Alright." Tusk nodded. They broke a hard sprint right for the cove, the lumbering Schooner on their tail the entire time. Finally, they reached the beach, and Ange turned to buy Tusk extra time.

"Hurry!" she yelled as she drew her knife, Tusk leaping into Villkiss's cockpit as the Schooner crashed onto the beach. "Over hear you shambling corpse!" Ange stepped back as it snapped at her, her knife slamming against its nose but merely bouncing off the hard scales. A swing from one of its wings sent Ange skidding back across the sand with a well.

"Here!" Tusk stepped out of Villkiss for just a moment, tossing Ange the stowed assault rifle.

"Hurry it up!" Clicking off the safety, Ange fanned the trigger, the Schooner's soft underbelly taking each burst. But while the rifle did more damage than her pistol, the Schooner continued fighting with the ferocity expected of a cornered animal. In an effort to lead it away from Villkiss, Ange dashed around to the Schooner's back, but a swipe from it's tail sent her flying back again.

Within the cockpit, Tusk was working as fast as he could. He couldn't see a thing due the lack of power, but he could hear that the battle wasn't going Ange's way. _'I have to hurry.' _He thought. _'Come on Villkiss, don't just lie there! Do something!' _Ange meanwhile was in the midst of regaining her senses as the Schooner loomed over her. There wasn't any room to run or dodge. _'This is it…' _she realized. _'No! I won't just die here! I won't die!'_ The Schooner lunged right for her, and Ange felt as if her ring pulsed with a heartbeat of her own. The boom of a machine gun echoed across the beach. The Schooner stumbling back and screeched in pain, blood flying from the fresh wounds as Ange looked up. Tusk had done it, Villkiss was reactivated and he managed to move the arm mounting its gun to shoot at the DRAGON.

"What the hell?" Tusk wondered. He hadn't even been close to getting Villkiss running. It had just suddenly sprung to life and shot the Schooner all on it's own. _'She really is the one meant to pilot it.' _He thought as the radio then crackled to life.

"_Hello?!" _Alain's voice came over it. _"Ange? You there?! Hellooo?!"_

"Alain, it's me!" Tusk shouted. "We got attacked by a Schooner! Get over here now!"

"_On the way, just stay alive!" _Tusk felt relieved knowing help was one the way and climbed out of Villkiss, seeing that Ange had reclaimed her knife. With a scream of pure fury, she pounced onto the Schooner, driving the blade into its throat.

"Die!" Ange's screaming became outright incoherent as she kept stabbing into the Schooner, blood splattering all over her and the beach. With a mix of horror and fear, Tusk raced over, grabbing Ange's hands as she raised her knife up again. She seemed totally lost in the adrenaline rush of the moment.

"That's enough." He said. "It's already dead." Little by little, the rage faded from Ange and she got off the Schooner, taking a few steps away and dropping her knife. Her body was shuddering like mad as she wrapped her arms around herself, drenched head to toe in blood and quietly began to sob. Tusk's expression sank a bit as he watched her. He looked at that small, blood drenched girl, and once more his mind wandered to that day burned into his memories. He saw the same damage in Ange he'd seen in Alektra back then.

Once she'd calmed down, Tusk guided Ange towards the surf and helped her wash off the blood as dawn began breaking over the mountain behind them. As the tide rose with it, the dead Schooner was washed up and slowly dragged out to sea.

"It must have been trying to help its friend." Tusk said. "Maybe it just wanted to go home together." Tusk glanced back and saw that the fire from the crash was still raging as well. "We won't be able to stay in these woods anymore. We have to hurry. What about you? Would you come with me?" Ange remained silent. "You're a bit violent. But, you're pretty, and cute, and beautiful. And I've seen you naked. And I did all those things. I'll take responsibility."

"_Tusk have I ever mentioned the fact you don't know when to shut up?" _Alain's voice suddenly crackling from Villkiss made Ange flinch and Tusk's face burn red. _"You left the radio on by the way. I heard everything!"_

Ange and Tusk looked up as drifting specks of greenish light floated down around them, and descending from above was the familiar silhouette of the Wyvern, the hum of its engines filling the air as the machine lowered onto the beach. Alain was quick to exit as the Para-mail quieted down, giving Tusk one wide smirk as he strolled over to the both of them.

"Looks like my help wasn't needed after all." Alain commented, glancing to the drifting off DRAGON corpse. "Long time no see Ange. You enjoy the vacation?"

"How the hell did you get here so fast?" Ange asked. Alain and Tusk shared a quiet glance, which only made Ange more confused as to what was going on.

"We've been looking for you and Villkiss ever since you were lost." Alain remarked. Ange could tell he wasn't lying but she had the suspicion he wasn't _quite _telling her everything. "If you like I could stretch that out a few more days."

"We?" Ange said. Alain simply smiled.

"I wasn't the only one looking for you." Alain stuck his thumb off to Villkiss as the radio crackled on again.

"_Ange, if you're there please respond!" _Vivian's ever bouncy voice sounded. _"Are you dead? Please tell me if you're dead!"_

"What?" Tusk looked surprised, and Alain gave a chagrined expression as he scratched the back of his head. Ange actually showed a smile as she trotted over to Villkiss, climbing in and facing the crackling monitor.

"Ange here." She said. "I'm alive."

"_No way." _Vivian gasped. _"Ange is it really you?! Big Bro said he was going ahead to find you! It's really you right?!" _Alain sighed as he put a hand to his headset.

"Vivian relax! She's perfectly fine." He said. "Villkiss is pretty roughed up, so we're gonna need a pick up."

"_R-Roger!" _The younger girl almost sounded in tears as she replied. Ange climbed out of Villkiss, giving Tusk a bit of a sad look.

"I'll be going back." Tusk widened his eyes a bit at what was clearly a response to his earlier question. Ange glanced back at Villkiss, and she could almost swear it felt like it was looking at her too. "I think it's the only place I have. Besides, I have to get some people back for what they did." As they were talking, Alain stumbled on some burnt underwear half buried in the sand. He pulled it out, and the red color told him off the bat it was Hilda's. _'I fucking knew it!' _he thought. _'Well… maybe I'll let it slide this one time. Who knows, Hilda may've just saved Libertus."_

"I get it." While disappointed, Tusk definitely understood Ange's reasoning.

"Thanks, by the way." Ange added. "I would've been dead without your help."

"No problem at all."

"Sorry I can't go with you." Ange took a step forward and placed a hand on Tusk's chest, then grabbed his shirt and yanked him forward, shoving a finger to his face. "Listen, nothing happened between us. You didn't see, do, or suck venom out of _anything. _Got it? Forget all about it. And you!" she looked to Alain, who promptly pitched what was in his hands off to the side. "You don't know anything about this or will say a damn thing to anyone too."

"My lips are sealed." Alain threw his hands up.

"Good." Ange let Tusk go, going back to a small smile. "Ange. My name's Ange, Tusk."

"That's a real pretty name." With a final smile, Tusk turned and ran off with a wave. "See you, Ange!"

"What a weird person." Ange mused, turning back to Alain. "So how do you know each other?"

"Let's just say we have a history._" _Alain said, pocketing his hands. "Anyway, they'll be here with the transport in a few. Before that, I've got a thing to take care of. See you back at base!"

Ange raised a brow as Alain ran off after Tusk. She figured there _had _to be something weird about Alain's presence on Arzenal, but now she only had more questions to ask since it clearly seemed to involve Tusk as well. Amid her thoughts, the roar of rotos chopping through the air the signaled the approach of the VTOL as it dropped into view.

"Quiz time!" Vivian's signature phrase sounded over its speakers as the girl threw the door open. "Who's still alive even after going down? The answer is Ange!" Ange waved back as Vivian had to be stopped from leaping from the vehicle by Ersha. _'Maybe these people aren't so bad after all.' _She thought.

* * *

Alain looked around at the cliffside he'd found himself at after following Tusk. At the precipice of a low cliff, Tusk was standing before two rows of rifles set into the ground, each one with a black helmet set over the stock, fresh flowers under each. Tusk had gotten changed into full on combat gear, a flak vest over his chest with sturdier pants and combat boots. In the rock face behind them, a heavy metal door had been installed.

"So, you're all that's left of this group huh?" Alain stepped to Tusk's side, the young man nodding to him as he adjusted the stuffed full duffel bags he was carrying. "Uncle Hannibal, Orga, Lyle, Aston, Ride, Naze, Akihiro, and Norba."

"I'm surprised you remember all their names after all this time." Tusk said.

"I've done my best not to forget the names of a lot of people." He replied. Alain took a moment and kneeled at the makeshift graves, closing his eyes. Tusk joined him in the silent moment. "So, what's next for you?"

"I was thinking of heading to the mainland." Tusk said, turning to the structure behind them as Alain stood up. "I think it's about time I stop sitting around and doing nothing. The guys at CROSS could use an extra hand."

"And I'm sure they'd be glad for the help." Alain helped as Tusk pushed the heavy door of the building open, revealing an object covered in a large cloth. Tusk whipped it off to reveal a black and red vehicle strikingly similar to a Para-mails flight mode, but much smaller in size and open to the air. "No frickin' way! Wasn't this thing Uncle Hannibal's?"

"Yep. Kept it ever since he passed." Tusk ran a hand along the vehicles nose, stopping to set something in a clip on the console. It was a photo of a much younger Tusk with two adults. A man with auburn hair in an armored black piloting suit, and a woman in a magenta Arzenal suit and dark brown hair. His parents, Istvan and Vanessa. "Everyone has been fighting since then. I'm done hiding from my own fight."

"The Knight of Villkiss huh?" Alain said. "Or maybe I should say the Knight of Ange?"

"Hehe, I kinda like the sound of that more." Tusk approached Alain, and the two tapped the back of their fists together. "I'll see you around Alain. Maybe we'll meet next time Jill sends you to the mainland."

"It'll be fun. Maybe you can help me get the guys in Garuda Team to shut up. They bug me for info about Arzenal every time." Tusk laughed at Alain's grumbling, the two tapping their fists again before Alain trotted out, being sure to stand clear as Tusk mounted the vehicle and shot off over the surface of the sea. "Rare I feel so optimistic about things." He mused. "Heh, looks like for once, things are turning around."

* * *

By the time he'd gotten back to the beach, Villkiss was already being loaded onto the transport, so Alain offered to fly ahead to tell Mei and the Armorers so that they could prepare for the ensuing all-nighter. _'What a week.' _He thought. With Libertus almost stopping before it could begin all over a petty grudge, he'd run himself ragged looking for the Villkiss and Ange. But at least things had turned out okay. In fact, it was _better _than okay. Tusk was no longer sulking on the island and hopefully Ange would be a bit less insufferable. _'Who knows?' _he smirked as he touched down on Arzenal's tarmac. _'Hilda's bitchiness may just wind up saving us all!' _If _that _wasn't just the definition of irony. But for now he just wanted to soak in the onsen and get some needed rest. But no sooner had he disembarked than he heard someone running towards him.

"Finally!" Alain turned, and who else did he see by Maggy running towards him. But something was off. Rather than her usual playfulness, she seemed agitated. She gasped for breath as she reached him, her chest heaving with every breath. "I was wondering the hell you were all going to get back!"

"What's wrong?" Alain asked. "You look like you just saw a ghost."

"I may as well have!" Maggy yelled as she grabbed his arm. "Nevermind! Just come on, we're going to the ICU!"

"Wait why? What happened?" Mei and the Armorers just stared dumbfounded as Maggy dragged him off, though Alain could hear a few of them snickering about him getting a "thorough examination." "Oi! At least answer my question before you drag me off! Maggy!"

"You'll see when we get there so just shut up!"

Alain relented to Maggy's fervor but he was starting to get paranoid. What was Maggy in a rush about anyway? _'Wait a moment…' _he realized. _'No, it couldn't be.' _Ange was alive, Libertus was still on, Tusk was back in the fight. No way things could just be _that _ didn't work out that way on Arzenal. But if it was bad news she would have just told him when he landed. His heart pounding, he went from following Maggy to sprinting ahead of her. Once he reached the ICU area and Naomi's room, he didn't care how hard he threw the door to the room open. His heart was racing as his eyes scanned over the room. And what started as burning panic froze over into dead shock in an instant. Sitting up with her hands folded over his lap, the girl that had previously been in an endless sleep was staring out of the window of the room. Her head turned to the sound of the door opening, amethyst eyes as vibrant as he remembered them to be.

"Alain?" Her voice was a little weak, and scratchy from two months of not seeing any use. "What's wrong? You… about… ready to faint."

"You're back…" Alain already felt himself shaking as he stumbled forward, and Naomi's clear confusion only grew. "Naomi!" He almost lunged forward almost fearful Naomi would be gone again if he didn't grab her as soon as possible. The embrace he pulled her into was tight, and Naomi gave a tiny squeak of discomfort and alarm, though Alain regained enough control to loosen his hold. "I thought… I wasn't sure you'd wake up! After that… when I thought I lost you I… you're back… you're back!"

"Alain…" Naomi whispered, "What… how long…?"

"Too long!" Alain did his best to smile in return, putting his forehead to Naomi's. "I was afraid you wouldn't… god there's so much to tell you. Almost too much."

"I…" Naomi murmured, putting a hand to Alain's face. She was mustering the best smile she could despite still looking totally confused. "Heard you… before."

"Alain, don't just run ahead like that-Oh!" Maggy finally caught up and stopped with the scene she arrived on. Alain was cradling Naomi in his arms with tears streaming down his face as he shook from bouts of laughter. Naomi still seemed almost half asleep and vaguely aware of what was happening, but enough to return the embrace. Waking up however was the easy part. She would still need to go through rehabilitation and there was the matter of her debt. But that could be saved for when Naomi was more lucid. And it was good to see Alain genuinely happy for once. _'Eh I won't spoil the mood.' _The older woman thought. _'Still… we get a pilot for Villkiss and our little special case wakes up… talk about a turnaround for us.' _Arzenal was a place were happy things were few and far between, but when it did, it was all it took to keep them all going.

"Welcome back!" Alain had a rare ear to ear grin as he and Naomi touched foreheads again, the pink haired girl, out of it was she was, smiling back at him. For a rare time in their messy lives, they could truly say things were looking up.

* * *

**A/N**

**Well this was a thing I'd been looking forward to getting done here for a while. Big shoutout to Eric Michael Kline for beta reading this and helping me edit it as well. It's a big help to getting all this done. Now for a little idea tidbit, voice actors. Cause I always enjoy these hypotheticals, I've got both Japanese and English here. For Alain: JP being Soma Saito, and English being Josh Grelle. Just ideas.**


	11. Chapter 10: Odd Arrival

_Rondo in the Endless Sky_

**Chapter 10: Odd Arrival**

With the day's drills done, Alain made his way to the med bay. A week had passed since Ange's return to Arzenal and Naomi's surprise reawakening. After a few days the formerly comatose girl was now in a much more lucid state of mind though she was still too weak to leave the infirmary wing. When he arrived, Maggy was wrapping up some of the prescribed physical therapy. Nothing too serious for the time being, just some massages and exercises meant to get her used to moving again.

"Alain." Naomi smiled as she struggled to get up.

"Easy." Maggy warned as she helped Naomi ease into the position. "We don't need you falling _back _into a coma because you overexerted yourself. And what's this?" The doctor shot Alain a wry smile. "Some more of your own personal therapy?" Alain rolled his eyes as he sat down and set the bag in his hands onto the nightstand, pulling out one of the apples he'd bought from the mall.

"If Naomi's going to recover her strength than she needs something better than the excuse for food the mess hall has." He said. "Also do you mind?"

"As you wish." Maggy said, shooting a snide look back at them as she left. "Besides, I bet Naomi would much prefer to exercise with you anyway!" Naomi's face flushed, and Alain narrowed his eyes at Maggy.

"So, how're you feeling?" Alain asked as he started slicing up the apple.

"Getting better every day." Naomi said. "Still hard to believe I've been out for two months though."

"About. It's closer to seven weeks, but, semantics."

"And in that time, we lost Zola and two recruits." Naomi's hands bunched up on the sheets. "Honestly I thought Zola of all people would be one of the lucky ones like Jasmine, a Norma who'd live long enough to actually get old."

"Not that I'm sure the Overseer's Board wouldn't toss the old bat back into a cockpit if they felt like it." Alain joked, getting a laugh out of Naomi. "Though at least out of that one of the newbies stayed alive. Not for lack of trying on the part of some of the others anyway."

"That Ange girl, right?" Naomi got a nod. Over the past few days, Alain had told Naomi most of what had happened since Ange's arrival, but he had to leave out some key details until he felt she was ready to hear them. "To think they even put her in that old junker. I know Mei wanted to get it back in shape for the longest time but I'm surprised it even flew."

"We've been surprisingly lucky these past couple of weeks." Alain flicked the pocketknife shut as he set the napkin full of sliced apple down next to Naomi, who moaned happily as she popped them in her mouth. Alain couldn't blame her. Subsisting on medbay food for a week had to compare to a year in the hole. "Hell at this rate we may just see a Virgin drop in on a sortie soon enough. Been a while anyway."

"I didn't miss one of those too did I?" Alain shaking his head got Naomi to sigh. "Then I'll need to put in some hard work if I want to…" Despite the attempt at enthusiasm in her voice, Naomi's expression dropped before she could finish the thought. Her hands tensed on the blanket, and Alain was quick to put a hand hers. It was only expected that her mind would likely wander when she thought about flying again. From what Alain had been told, Naomi had been engaged in a test-flight for new Para-mail parts before they were to be put out to general purchase. Normally this was an easy enough task where she'd fly to an empty island and do some performance drills. But, on that day of all days, a Singularity opened right on top of her, and while the active squadron at the time made an emergency sortie, she'd been left to fight the DRAGONs off herself until they arrived.

Alain had personal knowledge that Naomi was a top pilot. Her role as a tester wasn't some backline duty, since it demanded she often use untuned or even problematic parts and weapons. But no matter how advanced the Para-mail or the skill of the pilot, nothing short of the Villkiss and the Wyvern could hold off an entire swarm that easily even with backup on the way. By the time help arrived, they were just in time to see a Galleon send her falling from the sky and crashing onto a reef. Most would have assumed she'd died, and Alain himself had too when he first heard the news. But be it luck or perhaps divine intervention, Naomi had survived but was left wounded and comatose.

'_It looks like Naomi's going to need more than physical therapy before she gets back to flying.' _Alain thought. "Just take things slow for now alright? I doubt they're gonna make you fly any time soon. No point when you can barely even move."

"Well you're right about that." Behind Alain, the door flew open and a furry mass rushed past him to jump to the bed. "Vulcan, down!" Jasmine scolded as the dog licked all over Naomi's face. "Girl can barely sit up on her own, you trying to knock her out again?"

"He's fine." Naomi giggled as Vulcan nuzzled into her lap, giving the dog a scratch on his neck. "I'm glad to see you too. Did he put on weight? He seems bigger than two months ago."

"It just seems that way because you're a little frail." Jasmine pulled up a chair and sat down. "First off, glad to see you up again Naomi. It's rare a case like you happens."

"Speaking of, why hasn't anyone else come to see me?" Naomi asked. "Alain's the only visitor I've had all week."

"That's where things get complicated." The older woman said. "I'm sorry to say, but we had to keep things quiet. As far as the rest of Arzenal knows, you're dead. Rescue team didn't even find a body."

"Makes sense." Naomi sighed. "I guess there wouldn't be a lot of sympathy for a Norma who couldn't fight with the Board huh? So then, what do we do now?"

"We've got that covered." Alain snickered. "The story we're going to give is that I found you injured and malnourished on one of the islands I searched while looking for Ange."

"Would the Inspector really buy that?"

"Well," Jasmine smirked. "we've gotten her to believe wilder things. Unfortunately, you were still technically out of duty so there's nothing we can do about the massive debt she'll charge you. And it is a _doozy,_ adds up to about fifty million cash."

"That's probably the least surprising thing I've heard all week." Naomi groaned.

"Don't worry about it." Alain said. "I've covered the medical costs till now. And paying something like that for me is…"

"No." Naomi cut in. "Alain, I really appreciate what you've done already, but I'm not going to leech off my friends. I'll find a way to handle it on my own." Alain put a hand behind his head. Like Ersha, Naomi was one of the sweetest people he knew, but she also had a stubborn streak a mile wide.

"Oh, don't worry, I've got that one taken care of." Jasmine looked rather proud of herself as she leaned forward in her chair. "Once you're able to actually move, you can start off helping me at the Mall. I could use a hand with paperwork. Then once you've got a bit more muscle back on you, you can get moved to something else. With your knowhow on Para-mails I'm sure Mei would be happy to have you with the Armorers until you can get back in the cockpit."

"See?" Naomi beamed.

"Fine." Alain relented. "But I'm still covering the fine during your physical therapy got it? After that you can pay me back however you want." A mischievous glint came to Naomi's eyes as she leaned towards him.

"Really? Any way I want?" Alain cleared his throat as a small flush rose, and Jasmine snickered.

"You know…" Jasmine said. "You could probably pay off her entire debt in a day with the right method."

"Hell no." Alain snapped, his eye twitching.

"Haha, just messing with you." Jasmine wasn't convincing Alain with that. "Anyway I've got some business to see to later, incoming supplies and all that, gotta prepare. We'll put out the news about you once you're moving again and…"

The blare of the alarm cut Jasmine off. Alain gave a chuckle as he stood.

"And that's my cue to head out." Alain gave Naomi a thumbs up as he turned. "Once everyone knows, I'll get Ersha to help throw a party for you alright?"

"Sounds good. Kick some tail!"

* * *

Penal colony it was, even if the Norma were considered expendable assets, they had a purpose to serve to the World of Mana. So of course, that meant regular shipments of supplies both necessary and luxury. The standard procedure was for bulk shipments to arrive twice a month from Rosenblum, the kingdom that directly oversaw Arzenal's operations.

"Medical supplies, one." Emma read off the inventory on the Mana screen. "Medication, one. Maintenance, one…" As was her job as the Inspector General, Emma made sure all the supplies, both standard and ordered, came in as requested. It was a minor responsibility, but she did it with all the seriousness of her primary duties. She hadn't used her father's connections to get this position just to do it badly. Though she certainly wished the Norma could be less troublesome.

"Bring the containers with the bras down to my place, if you would!" And then there was Jasmine and her special orders. Emma at first didn't get the purpose of the Mall, but with some time she'd at least seen _why _it was there. _'If it keeps them from being rowdy, then there's no harm in it.' _She thought as Jasmine went through the crates that had been marked for the mall. As long as the Norma did their job and didn't cause any trouble, they could do whatever they wanted with those scraps of paper they valued so much. As she glanced away, Emma wasn't sure but from the corner of her eye it seemed as if something had darted by behind the crates. Probably just a trick of the light.

"Receipt confirmed." Emma said as her finger drew her signature on the mana screen. "Thank you for the delivery."

"_See you in two weeks." _The pilot answered. As the window closed, Emma looked off as the roar of engines carried through the air. With the darkening sky, the returning Para-mails of Garm Squadron looked like small dots of light, the only oddity being that ever-odd machine used by Alain, standing out among the glints by way of the green colored particles. Emma had tried looking into where that machine had come from several times, yet Arzenal's records never turned up anything about it. It was as if someone had deleted all the relevant data.

"Clear this all out quickly, we have returning units!" Emma barked, the deck crew curtly responding. _'I swear the timing of things. Why did today's sortie have to send them so far out?'_

* * *

On top of visiting Naomi, the past week for Alain had been taken up with further observations of Ange. He wanted to get an idea of how her time around Tusk had affected her, and he had to admit he was rather surprised. While still rather cold to others she at least wasn't as frequent with her rebuffs and even seemed to be getting along with the likes of Vivian and Ersha since they were actually nice to her. Best of all she wasn't being as much of a kill hog either and had even begun sharing her reward with Ersha and Vivian. _'Well… more like she's being selective about it.' _He didn't count on Ange forgiving Hilda especially, so he wasn't surprised she still occasionally stole kills from the Three Idiots. _'Still a ways to go. But… baby steps."_

"Dammit, now it's just worse!" Alain heard Rosalie grumble. "Now she's just singling us out!"

"Why did she even come back?" Chris muttered.

"Remind me who the bitch is again?" Hilda said.

"So let's teach her a lesson." From her cleavage, Rosalie reached in and pulled out a screw. "I'll bust a screw hole in her head!"

"Don't, you'll get in trouble with command." Chris cautioned.

"Not if she doesn't get caught." Hilda said, Chris smirking.

"Exactly." Rosalie commented, only to freeze when she noticed that Alain was looking back over his shoulder. His eyes were narrowed, and they'd gone from being like the open sky to chips of ice. Rosalie swore she felt colder from that look. "We're not doing anything!"

"Coward." Hilda scoffed as Rosalie tossed the screw away. Alain sighed and faced forward as he pocketed his hands. _'Why the hell do they care so much about what he thinks? So stupid…' _but an alarm began to blare before she could finish her thought.

"_Attention all units." _Pamela's voiced announced over the intercom. _"There is an intruder in Arzenal. Target has escaped onto the upper deck. All units in the vicinity, provide assistance immediately. I repeat…"_

"An intruder?" Ersha wondered. "Here?"

"_Alain, I have footage from the cameras." _Wyvern said. Alain pulled out the terminal, his expression cracking a bit as he raised a brow.

"What is it Big Bro?" Vivian asked. Alain angled the terminal so the others could see, and Ange's eyes went wide with shock.

"Is that a maid?" Rosalie said. _'No way?' _Ange thought._ 'It couldn't be' _The image Ange saw was blurry, but she'd recognize the person on the screen anywhere. With a growl, Ange sprinted off past the others. She _had _to confirm this for herself.

* * *

By the time Ange reached the upper deck, a security team had already surrounded the intruder. One of them swung at the individual with a baton, only for it to bounce off of a screen of light. _'The Light of Mana.' _Ange thought.

"Please stop!" _'That voice!' _Ange pushed through the guards, Ange was able to see the outline of the intruder. Holding up two barriers of light and kneeling on the ground was a girl wearing a torn and dirty maid uniform. Her dark hair was cropped short and while her large brown eyes looked at those surrounding her with a mix of terror and confusion. "I'm just here to see Lady Angelise!"

"Momoka?!" Ange gasped as she pushed through the crowds. At the sound of her name, the former maid turned to face the figure who pushed through the mob and towards her. Dressed in a revealing blue bodysuit that clung tightly to her slender frame, the figure stood before her and the two girls stared speechless at once another.

"Lady… Angelise?" Momoka whispered, her eyes unfocused as if she was processing the change in image in her former princess. "Is it really you?" she half sobbed as she stumbled towards her. By then Alain and the rest of Garm had arrived as the maid threw her arms around Ange's neck. "It's you!" she sobbed. "It really is you!" Momoka rushed over and hugged Ange as tight as she could. Ange only stood in a state of numb shock. How could Momoka of all people be here?

"Why is this not surprising?" Alain commented, pinching the bridge of his nose. _'And why do I feel like it's going to be a headache?'_

* * *

Emma had all kinds of questions now. Arzenal was supposed to be utterly impossible to escape from or even get _into _without the proper clearances. It was so far out of the way of civilization she _almost _questioned the need for patrols at the edges of the region leading to the mainland. And _somehow _a maid had from the Misurugi Imperial family managed to sneak onto the cargo ship? How did something like _that _go unnoticed?

"Momoka Oginome." She read off the profile displayed on the mana screen before her. For now, as the Inspector General, she had no choice but to deal with it. First things first, she'd made sure to call the Management Board to report the insident. "The former head maid to Princess Angelise…. Yes sir, she took care of the Princess… huh?!... yes, I understand."

"So, what did the Board want?' Jill asked as Emma hung up the phone. Whatever it was, judging by how Emma sunk into her chair, it couldn't be good. "About what we expected I'm guessing?"

"If we let her return to her home country, we risk exposing the truth about the DRAGONs and the Norma sent to fight them." Emma said. Arzenal's mere existence was a closely guarded secret of the highest kind. Only the leaders of each nation and members of the Rosenblum military associated with the Norma Management Board knew of its existence and purpose. "Isn't there anything we can do? She only came to visit that Ange girl. I doubt she even knew the risks."

"You _would_ sympathize." Jill said, snubbing out her cigarette. "Well it's not like there's anything a Norma like me can do to change the rules made by Humans." Emma sighed and sunk into her seat again. "At least let them be together for a bit. For now. I'll have Alain keep a close eye on them to make sure nothing's off about this."

"I wish I could say I found that reassuring." Jill just scoffed in reply. _'But do they really need to take it that far?' _Emma thought._ 'Couldn't they just take this girl in and swear her to secrecy?' _When she first took this job, she remembered well how shocked she'd been the first time she'd seen _how _the Norma of Arzenal died. For however Emma felt about them, not even she thought they deserved to die in such gruesome fashion. Even if it was for the greater good, it felt cruel at times, especially when it happened to the younger ones. _'Orders are orders though. I still don't feel like it's right…'_

* * *

Alain's heavy sigh only made his dour mood all the more obvious to the others in the lunchroom as he picked at his food. His premonition about things being a whole new headache had come to pass, ashe now found himself having to also look after Ange's maid. _'When I told Jill I don't mind playing babysitter, I meant for the kids, not two girls my damn age.' _His eyes drifted over to the lunch line where Ange and Momoka were awaiting their turn to be served. While Ange had adjusted to Arzenal, Momoka looked flabbergasted by the militaristic life her former mistress now lived compared to the opulent and luxurious life of a princess.

"Ange really is from a different world than us, huh?" Ersha commented, glancing at Alain as he grumbled. "What are you pouting over?"

"I ain't pouting." Alain muttered. "Just annoyed Jill has me playing babysitter for 'em both."

"So, you're pouting?" Ersha giggled.

"He has every reason to complain." Salia said. "Ange was problematic enough before all of this."

"She's getting better though!" Vivian said. "When I gave her a Perolina keychain she actually thanked me for it. By the way, what's a maid?"

"A person that takes care of royalty." Salia said. She shot Alain a look when he gave a mischievous chuckle. "Don't say a word."

"What? I didn't imply anything." Alain snickered, Salia's face reddening a bit.

"What are they talking about?" Vivian asked, Alain and Salia looking away, to the vermilion haired girl's confusion. "Is this another one of those things I'm not supposed to know about?"

"When you grow up a bit more." Ersha then sighed and pulled out a napkin. "Hold still. You have ketchup on your face."

"Hmm…" Vivian had a thought come around as Ersha wiped her face clean. "So hey, Ersha, Salia, you're like my maids, right?"

"We absolutely are not!" Both girls cried, followed by Alain reaching over and flicking Vivian on the forehead.

"Hey!" The girl yelped.

"We're more like your parents." Alain said, leaning on a hand and sighing again. "But at least things haven't gotten more hectic than…"

"How dare you!" Momoka suddenly yelling cut him off. _'I spoke too soon.' _He thought. Looking up, Alain saw Momoka admonishing one group for not making room for Ange. Unsurprisingly, it was Hilda and company. "How dare you be so rude! Don't you realize Lady Angelise is a princess! One of you give your seat right now!"

"It's none of your business." Ange grumbled. She did _not _want this to be happening now.

"Give up our seats?" Hilda snidely said. "Someone has a high opinion of themselves… burn princess." Hilda's snarl became a slight smirk when she could hear Alain's head meeting a table though Ange's neutral expression wasn't nearly as satisfying.

"You still think you're hot shit?!" Rosalie snapped.

"I can smell it all the way over here." Chris commented as Momoka flushed in anger.

"This… this is unacceptable!" Momoka snapped, Rosalie guffawing at the maid. "How dare you insult Lady Angelise! Even for barbaric and uncultured Norma, such words are-"

"Cool it!" As if right on cue, Alain appeared behind Momoka and clamped a hand to the maid's mouth to shut her up. Several of the other Norma looked glad he did so. "Momoka was it? Kindly refrain from pissing anyone off. You're not exactly in Misurugi anymore!" Alain released her, and Momoka stared at him in disbelief. While she had encountered him the previous night, Momoka still didn't understand how it was possible for a male Norma to actually exist.

"Don't you stop me!" she scolded him. "I cannot simply let insults to Lady Angelise go unchecked! Such slander is intolerable! If you were a gentleman you would stand up for her as well!"

"What's intolerable is you not shutting up!" Alain growled.

"And besides, your "Lady Angelise" is a Norma too." Hilda pointed out.

"Y-You take that back!" Momoka demanded. "Lady Angelise is Lady Angelise no matter what!" And all it earned Momoka was a barrage of laughter from Hilda and the others.

"You two are perfect for each other!" Hilda cackled. "Just a pair of deluded idiots. Hey Alain, what did you do to piss off the Commander to earn this?"

"Hilda, let's not today." Alain muttered.

"At least she'll have someone to polish her knobs." Rosalie said.

"Rosalie." Alain growled, the orange-haired girl making an "_eep" _as she promptly shut up.

"Classy as always." Ange said, a snide smirk on. Hilda and the others stood up, and Alain readied himself to jump in when the first punch was thrown.

"Like your maid said we are Norma." Hilda said.

"I'm warning you!" Momoka said, spreading her arms out as she stepped between Hilda and Ange. "If you don't stop disrespecting Lady Angelise I'll… I'll…" as Alain watched, Momoka began to sway back and forth before she collapsed. Alain managed to catch her before she hit the floor, and a sudden growl from her stomach immediately told him what the problem was.

"When was the last time you ate?" Alain asked.

"Th… three days ago." She slurred. _'One thing after another.' _Alain sighed. Sliding his arms underneath her, Alain scooped Momoka up off the floor.

"Ange, c'mon." he ordered.

"Why? You seem to be having fun."

"Stow the attitude and come on!" He snapped. "She's like this because of you, so the _least _you can do is help her out!" Ange _tched_ and set her tray aside.

"Fine." Ange relented. "I wasn't in the mood for this swill anyway." As Ange followed after Alain left with Momoka cradled in his arms, Hilda sat back down, her eyes boring into Ange trying to burn a hole in the back of her skull. _'Arrogant bitch!' _she cursed._ 'You've actually got someone who cared enough to come find you and you don't even care?' _Hilda was no saint but at least she had some gratitude towards those who were good to her, as limited a number she considered that to be. _'Though I guess I'm not entirely one to talk.' _From the corner of her eye, Hilda saw how Rosalie and Chris were glowering with jealousy over how Alain was carrying Momoka like some prince from a fairy tale. _'I wonder what it's like to be held like that.'_

* * *

It was no lie when the Jasmine Mall boasted about selling everything. That included food of course. Fresh, preserved, and prepared. Since meal breaks also coincided with free time, the Norma were perfectly free to skip out on whatever was being cooked in the lunchroom so long as they had the cash. And considering his appetite this made Alain a regular in the rec area. With the line at the counter being the usual Saturday rush, Alain had Momoka a burger from the vending machine, along with one for Ange and an outright stack for himself.

"Thank you very much!" Momoka took a bite, almost crying at finally getting something to eat. Alain himself just grunted as he continued stuffing his face. As they leaned against an unused ping pong table, Momoka had to admit he was an oddity. For one, Alain seemed as crass and uncultured as the rest of the Norma-at least as far as Momoka considered things cultured. But then he'd carried her here after she fainted, bought her something to eat, and didn't even attempt to molest her while she was in a state of delirium. It was oddly chivalrous of him.

"Excuse me, Lady Angelise." She asked. "But is Mr. Alain really a Norma?"

"He _says _he is, which is enough for me." Ange replied. "He's also crude, arrogant, and sleazy. The only good thing about him is that he's one of the few pilots I can count on."

"I have my good points _besides _my piloting skills you know?" Alain countered.

"Don't care."

'_What's happened to her?' _Momoka thought. _'Lady Angelise… you were always so kind before. Why have you become so cold?'_ A sudden clap on the table drew her attention, Momoka looking down to see Ange had dropped a stack of bills beside her. "This is…?"

"Money." Ange answered. "You'll need it to take care of yourself. Should last you a few days."

"So, these are paper bills? Thank you very much." Momoka picked up one of the bills, giving it a curious eye. "I read about monetized economies in the history books about the pre-Mana era and how inefficient they were, but in a way it seems rather fun!"

"You think so?" Ange asked, just before a fit of agonized screaming split the air. All eyes in the rec area turned as Maggy and the medical team pulled along a gurney with a Norma strapped to it. They couldn't make out what exactly had happened, but going from the blood splashed on the gurney it wasn't pretty.

"Stop squirming." Maggy said, her tone all too casual from being used to this routine. "Don't blame me if I can't reattach your arm… wait, where _is _her arm?"

"Right here." One of the medics pulled off the blanket, Maggy humming as she grabbed the messily severed limb.

"Maybe I can reattach it this way?" As they passed, Momoka's eyes widened at the gruesome sight and she covered her mouth.

"What was that?" Momoka said. The red stain of ketchup on her food suddenly looked all too like blood, and she found she'd lost her appetite.

"Sometimes people just get unlucky." Alain said through a mouthful.

"You know her?" Ange said, crumpling up the wrapper in her hand.

"Kelly. She's from 3rd Squad." Alain replied. "She got brought up from Reserves pretty recently."

"Hm." Ange didn't really care, but banter was banter. All the better to make things clear to Momoka anyway.

"Lady Angelis… What on earth is this place for?" Momoka asked.

"Hunting." Alain and Ange replied at the same time, Ange walking off.

"Who knows when I'm going to end up just like that?" Ange turned on her heel and vanished down the way out, Momoka slumping her arms as her expression sank.

"Lady Angelise… what has happened to you? That… that isn't Lady Angelise. Not the one I know. You must be suffering so much." _'This oughta be good.' _Alain thought as Momoka perked up. "Then I have no choice but to save you! Just leave everything to your head maid!"

"Good luck with that." Alain snarked as her started on his third burger. "Just don't make things troublesome for the rest of us in the process."

"Oh uh… alright!" Alain turned to see Momoka deeply bowing at him. He raised a brow at the maid. That was not a response he expected from someone like her. "Thank you for helping me. I'm not sure if what Lady Angelise said is entirely true but, for a Norma you don't seem like a bad person."

"Word of advice, drop the "for a Norma" line." Alain said, his voice tinged in a bit of frost. "I'd use the few days you'll be here to learn a thing or two about us. About the situation your people throw us into."

"I'll be sure to do that!" Momoka's earnest smile made Alain sigh.

"I honestly wish there were more humans like you. There's not enough." Momoka tilted her head as Alain left. Just what did he mean by that?

* * *

Part of what had troubled Alain about this new task of his was what Jill _hadn't_ told him. He knew from experience how secretive the World of Mana wanted to be about Arzenal, all in the name of keeping up the idea their world was a perfect one. So of course the logical conclusion was their plans for Momoka didn't exactly involve letting her _continue _to know about the place. And he doubted Jill would lift a finger to help anyone who wasn't of use to her. It was time to take matters into his own hands.

"Damn, where is it?" Alain grumbled as his arm shuffled around underneath his bed. Just having the thing was a risk as not even Jill knew about it. Finally, his fingers wrapped around something hard and rectangular as he pulled out a communicator. And not one that came from Arzenal. Flipping it open, Alain grimaced at seeing the view screen had a crack. "Was that from Salia or Ersha?" he wondered. "Whatever. What was the code again?" Once he remembered, he cleared his throat as he pressed a few keys and gave the callsign. "Communications code RX-78. Codename, Mobius One."

"… _wait what?!" _a man's voice stifled laughter as he heard various thuds from the other end. _'Well he's surprised.' _He thought as he smirked. _"Holy shit it is you!" _

"Nice to hear from you too SkyEye. How you holding up?"

"_Aside from the fact this line hasn't been used in years. Has Alek… I mean, Jill finally decided on something or she still not willing to talk to us?"_

"That's actually not why I'm calling."

"_I mean I figured you pulled that old radio out for _some _reason. Alright then, what's the deal? Please don't let it be something that's gonna piss off Bandog is it? Cause he's right next to me, and he's giving that glare again."_

"Gods no." Alain shuddered at the idea. "I'm not going through one of his lectures again next time I'm sent out. But it _will _require a bit of wetwork…"

"_Go on…" _SkyEye said, obviously intrigued.

"Alright, so you guys are definitely up to speed about the whole Misurugi Incident with Princess Angelise right?" Alain would at least expect as much. The people at CROSS liked to keep in the know on things but he just wanted to be sure.

"_Of course we are. Hard to avoid something that made national news and caused an entire nation to go full reform. Y'know that egotistical brat's calling himself "Holy Emperor Julio I" now?"_

"Wouldn't surprise me." Alain snarked, earning a snicker from the operator. "Anyway, the Princess's former maid _somehow _found her way to Arzenal." Alain paused as he heard something drop, plus some yelling in the background that made him pull the communicator away. "Can I keep going or did Bandog blow a fuse?"

"_Could you, at least _once_, not come at us with something crazy sounding?" _Another male said, Alain closing his eyes. _"Is that head on straight or you woozy from being in snatch again? How the hell would a random _maid _find out where Arzenal is?!"_

"_Bandog do you mind?!" _SkyEye yelled, his companion not sounding pleased as he faded out of general hearing. _"That's something to look into. Anyway, maid, Arzenal, not sure why. Go."_

"The thing is, as you can guess the NMB isn't exactly _happy _knowing a random girl snuck onto the shipping transport to get here." Alain pulled the communicator away again in anticipation for Bandog's reaction.

"_You're kidding me. So much for the NMB's spotless record_ _at keeping their secrets." 'About what I expected from him.' _Alain thought. Bandog always was both temperamental and someone who could give Alain a run for his money in snark. Made operational conversations fun for him.

"_Bandog please shut up!" _SkyEye sighed. _"Go on before he takes the mic again."_

"You can probably guess what they plan to do with her once she leaves." SkyEye gave a knowing grumble. "I know it's a lot to ask, but is it possible to set something up to make sure she doesn't get met with a firing squad? She probably didn't even know the risks to coming here."

"_First off, yeah, that is a lot to ask!" _Bandog snapped. _"And at least think about what you're asking us Trigger."_

"I'm asking you to get some of the guys in Rosenblum to make sure an innocent girl doesn't get killed for no reason other than knowing too much." Alain replied, Bandog grumbling. "Again, I know it's a lot. And like from some of my other requests, I'll be fully prepared to do whatever the hell Heartbreak wants next time I'm out."

"_I'm not sure who's worse. Heartbreak or Jill?" _SkyEye mused.

"_Heartbreak has Big Boss keeping him in check, so I'd say Jill." _Bandog commented.

"_We'll see what we can do. How long is that girl gonna be at Arzenal?" _SkyEye asked.

"Next few days." Alain answered.

"_I'll see what I can do." _SkyEye said. _"But, see if you can't do anything. I'll run this by Heartbreak and Big Boss to see if we can't get it to the guys in Rosenblum. We've got some contacts there connected to the NMB so we should be able to at least get something done."_

"Can they be trusted?" Alain tapped a finger. He could never be sure about these things. CROSS was also made up of the rare cases of humans sympathetic to the Norma, but they'd run into trouble before and Alain wasn't easy to trust people outside of Arzenal and CROSS's main group.

"_They've got implants, don't worry."_

"_But maybe try and save us the trouble and see if you can't keep her there." _Bandog suggested.

"I get it." Alain said. "I'll see if I can't figure something out in the time I've got. I'll update you guys if the situation changes. Mobius One out."

"_SkyEye out."_

Alain closed the communicator as the line was cut. Who knew if someone could be listening in? Hence why despite being friendly with the operators, any calls were kept to callsigns only. All the better to make sure, since CROSS was mostly made up of the remnants of the Libertus forces who chose not to remain on Arzenal. Alain's choice to stay also meant he found himself acting as a bit of a liaison between Arzenal and CROSS, least of all because Jill wanted nothing to do with them at the time. He wasn't even allowed to tell them about Villkiss's reactivation.

"_What do you suggest we try to do?" _Wyvern said, Alain leaning his head back on the bed.

"Keep an eye on the maid. I've already got something of an idea, but like hell if I'm sure it could even work." Alain tugged at a strand of his bangs as he thought. "I'll definitely need to work with Ange on this. She's a bitch but this Momoka girl seems like someone she was close to before things went to hell. I don't think she'd just let her die if she found out."

"_You honestly think so?"_

"Optimism always _has _been one of my biggest flaws." Alain chuckled. "I try to see the best in everybody, even the people I don't like. I'm an idiot like that. So, let's see how the next few days go."


	12. Chapter 11: Thinker

**Chapter 11: Thinker**

'_Why do I continue to open my big mouth?' _By the time lunch had rolled around some days after Momoka's arrival, chaos ensued, for lack of a better term. One day, _somehow, _Alain could only assume through the use of the Light of Mana, Momoka had started off by rearranging a portion of the locker room, Salia and Alain's lockers being particular victims to the maids decision to add in a full size cabinet loaded to the brim with dresses. Ange had at the least gotten just as irritated about it as Alain, probably moreso, and demanded Momoka change it back. And not a day after that, he'd heard from Jasmine Momoka had _also _requested a whole list worth's of things to rearrange Ange's dorm as well. Granted that was the tamer of things and something Alain questioned when he heard not a while before Ange requested the changes be reverted.

But, from something benign to something annoying. The lunchroom had an open balcony that was for one, part of letting air into the space, but also a nice overlook. And while it didn't earn much more than grumbles from the Norma, Momoka had set up an ornate tarp cover and table set, complete with handmade meal with things she definitely bought from the mall. As Ange approached the set up with an odd look, Alain's groan could be heard throughout the lunchroom before his face met the table, Salia giving him a pat on the back as he let out a pained noise.

"Welcome, Lady Angelise." Momoka greeted Ange ever so happily, however. "Today I've prepared your favorite from back home. Grilled quail with salad with sauce." Ange narrowed her eyes as she approached the table, her hands going right for the cover. "I'm sure you'll feel a hundred times better after eating this!"

"Enough!" Ange ripped the tablecloth off, sending everything atop it flying to the ground.

"What a waste!" Vivian could be heard bemoaning the loss of food her keen nose said was good.

"Lady Angelise…" Momoka said. _'I'm sure if we just talk a bit…'_

"It's not Angelise!" Ange snapped. _'Not anymore. Stop acting like nothing's changed!' _she thought. "How many times do I have to keep telling you before you get it!? Just leave me alone!" Ange slammed a fist to the table and stormed off. Hilda stood up as Ange passed, a smirk coming to her face as she looked to the now downtrodden Momoka. _'I wonder if Ange knows?' _For the Norma the secrecy of their location wasn't exactly uncommon knowledge after all. Yet Ange probably wasn't quite as in the loop to some things. _'I wonder how she'll react to hearing some passing rumors?'_

* * *

If there was something Alain at least found calming in this mess of a week, it was target practice. There was something oddly relaxing about spending time on the firing range. The smell of burnt gun powder hanging in the air, the ring of shells bouncing off the floor after every shot, the rhythmic _bangs _that rang as everyone took aim and fired at the Schooner-shaped targets down range. Plus, the satisfying feeling of quickly adjusting his aim and plugging each of the target points in quick succession. Though for his speed and precision, Alain didn't nail perfect bullseyes. That and the title of Best Shot in the Squad went to Salia.

Alain shifted his head over to look as Ersha fired next to him. Her shot went wide and while it hit the target, it wasn't at all close to anywhere she should have actually hit. Alain looked over at Salia, the squad leader nailing the bullseye at the head in one shot.

"Nice shooting!" Ersha said, pulling out a handkerchief shoved into her cleavage to wave like a flag. "I can never hit quite as well as you, Salia. How do you always aim so well? I've got no clue what I'm doing wrong."

"It's your center of gravity. I keep telling you to adjust your torso before you shoot." Alain muttered, giving his rifle's muzzle a tap.

"But it feels fine to me before I shoot." Ersha argued. "So really just what do I need to do?"

'_Find a way to remove that four-dimensional bust first.' _Salia thought. "You aim fine in the Para-mail. But Alain's right, it's your center of gravity throwing you off."

"Is that so?" Ersha crossed her arms beneath her bust, pushing it up even further. Neither Alain nor Salia were sure if she knew why her aim was off and was just playing around with both of them, or if Ersha was being that legitimately airheaded. _'One of the great mysteries of Arzenal.' _Alain thought. He looked to his left where Ange crouched with her gaze firmly down range. Though what concerned Alain was the usual suspects huddling together not to far away from Ange.

"Whoa, you're serious?" And Rosalie's totally not loud on purpose tone didn't make him feel less suspicious.

"You're being too loud." Hilda scolded, but the look in her eyes side it was _definitely _on purpose. Ange did indeed seem to pay attention even as she kept staring downrange.

"That maid's seriously going to get killed?" Rosalie said aloud. _'Totally on purpose.' _Alain thought, firing a burst to try and act as a not-so-silent deterrent. Ange shifted ever so slightly though. If they were looking for a reaction, the three girls got it.

"According to the operators." Hilda said. "I overheard them saying something like that the other day."

"Why would they even do that?" Chris asked.

"I've overheard the Inspector talking about how Arzenal and the DRAGONs are classified like you wouldn't believe." Hilda said. "Only a handful of humans know about this place."

"Is that so?" Rosalie said.

"I've heard a few things like that." Chris added. Alain fired again, but to no avail.

"And then some random girl who shouldn't even know about the place waltzes right in under their noses, learning everything." Hilda's eyes turned to Ange, who kept her gaze locked forward on the targets.

"Yeah, there's no way they'd just let her go back home." Chris said. And by now Alain had given up on trying to interrupt and was just glaring at the three. Chris and Rosalie as expected looked away, but Hilda just glared back.

"Poor little miss maid." Hilda's snide look went more directly to Ange. "I almost feel sorry for her. She came her looking for a cold-hearted bitch like that. Everyone who gets close to her just winds up dead. First Coco and Mirana, now that girl. She just seems to keep sending people who actually like her right to Hell. She's a first-class jinx."

The sudden roar of a gun at full auto ripped through the air. Hilda flinched a bit and looked across the range, Alain shouldering his still smoking rifle. Chris and Rosalie were giving Hilda looks that said even they thought that remark went a bit _too _ shot a glare back to Alain as he reloaded and went prone. _'Damn he pisses me off. What the hell's your problem? Don't you _want _Ange to drop the attitude?'_

* * *

'_A way to keep that girl here… there's really only one option but I hate the idea of doing it.' _Alain sighed as he set a data pad down and flopped down on his bed. He'd spent this last couple of days trying to form some kind of plan. He knew he could rely on the guys at CROSS, but he did want to follow Bandog's suggestion and see if there was a way to keep Momoka from leaving at all. Aside from keeping attention off CROSS and potentially Jill's prosthetic out of his gut, it could also benefit Ange to have another ally around. The easiest option was just to buy her out. Arzenal's rules were simple and clear: If one had the money to afford it, then anything they wanted could be theirs provided the other was willing to sell. Jasmine made it clear that it was a very _exact _terminology. But Alain was as averse of the idea of buying someone out as most of Arzenal was. Now perhaps Momoka was different. She _was _a human after all, and maybe some would see it as poetic justice for one to be bought out by a Norma. But Alain had his principles, and those extended even to humans.

"Hey, you in there?" Ange's voice snapped him to attention/ "I know you're alone in there for once."

"Yeah yeah, just hold on." Alain just _had _to know what this about. There was no _way _Ange was coming to his room for _that _reason. _'Plus I'm not about to do that to Tusk.' _He decided. _'I'm not one to turn down an offer, but I'd never move in on someone else's girl.'_

"If you're thinking something dirty," Ange said as Alain opened the door, glaring at him. "then no, I'm not here for that. Look… I need your help with something. It's about Momoka."

"You? Asking _me _for help?" Alain joked, Ange's glare narrowing further. "Okay I get it. I know you're not joking. It's just unusual alright?"

"Yeah but unfortunately you're also the only one I feel like I can ask about this." Ange said. "Now you going to let me in or not?"

"Make yourself at home." Alain stepped aside as his guest entered and took a moment to look his dorm over. She found it surprisingly tame_. _Normal, she'd dare had half expected a den of debauchery, but instead what she got was something that seemed totally normal for a young man Alain's age. A TV set up with gaming consoles hooked up to it, posters from shows across the walls, a large but space-keeping bed, and surprisingly a pair of packed bookshelves next to a work desk with his closed laptop present. Granted said books were volumes of manga thanactual novels. She had to wonder why he had two dressers, but then second guessed it knowing what she usually heard. Ange took a seat at the small couch across from the TV, and Alain pulled his desk chair over.

"I hate to say it but… I'm worried." Ange said. "If what those idiots said is right then… I told Momoka to run but she wouldn't listen to me."

"And you don't wanna see her die." Alain said, Ange looking at him. To her surprise, he was smiling. "I actually expected that much y'know? For as bad as your attitude is, you're not a bad person at heart. That or it's my stupid sense of optimism convincing me you are."

"You? An optimist?" Ange snarked.

"You see anyone else around her as positively minded as me?" Ange was about to answer but… "Besides Vivian." Alain knew just where she was going.

"So what if I don't huh?" Ange said. "She doesn't deserve to die. She only came here because she wanted to see me again. And for that they're going to kill her? All to keep some secret? I won't let that happen! Momoka… she's the only human who didn't turn on me! I don't know what to do so… please, help me!" The look of desperation in Ange's eyes told Alain just how seriously she was taking it. _'So she really does have a heart under it all.' _He thought.

"I'll be honest with you; I've been thinking about this." He told her. "And we've got two options."

"I'm listening."

"Our first option is to buy her out."

"Meaning what?"

"You should remember what Jasmine told you." Alain said. "With enough money, anything can be bought. Support, friendship, even someone else's life."

"You're not seriously suggesting I buy Momoka like she's some piece of property?!" Ange cried.

"If she's willing to sell, then yes." Alain replied. "The problem is even _with _all the money you've earned I doubt you'll have enough. Which is where I come in. We split the cost and become co-owners." Ange glared at him like she was ready to slug his face in. "Oh don't give me that look! Despite what you might think I do have standards!"

"What's the other option?" Ange demanded.

"We put in a call to some friends of mine and see if they can't smuggle her out." Friends? What did he mean by that? Was he planning something not even Jill knew about? "There's no guarantee they'd make it in time though, not to mention the risk of exposure. Not just from the Inspector, but Jill to. She… hasn't been on the best terms with these people, to say the least. If she found out I asked them for help she might just toss Momoka _and _us off the tarmac herself." Ange mulled over it. She didn't like the idea of "buying" Momoka, but Alain was right that there may not be another option.

"So what do you want out of this?" Ange wasn't just expecting Alain to do this out of the good will of his heart.

"In exchange," he said. "you lay off the kill stealing. Not just with Vivian and Ersha, the rest of your squad too. Let them start earning some decent pay again."

"Are you kidding me?! After all those three did?! You don't seriously just expect me to…"

"This one isn't just about you!" Alain snapped, getting right in Ange's face. "I'm not saying forgive them. Right now though, this is about Momoka. You said it yourself, she came here without knowing the danger. I don't think she deserves to die for something she didn't know about either. But if she could bear that then _you _can bear not being such a troublemaker! You need to stop thinking about yourself. Or do you _want _Momoka to end up like Coco, Miranda, and Zola?" Images of the two girls' deaths and the mangled body of Zola drifted through Ange's mind where she'd tried to lock them away, along with a vision of Momoka lying in a pool of her own blood before an alarm pulled her back to reality.

"Attention all residents!" Pamela's voice announced. "A Singular has been detected. Garm and Mobius Squadrons, report to launch bay for deployment!"

"Damn, now of all times?" Alain cursed. "Look, I'll let you think this over for now, but you'd better make a choice and soon." Alain hurried out, Ange groaning as she followed after. By the time they arrived at the hangar, the rest of Garm were already lined up as the Para-mail were being taxied to launch positions.

"You better work hard today so you can afford that girl's tombstone." Rosalie mocked.

"Rosalie, shut up and focus on the DRAGONs." Alain said, his cool tone perhaps more surprising than if he was angry.

"Mount up everyone!" Salia ordered. As Ange clambered up Villkiss's side, a sudden feeling made her stop.

"Ange." Ange looked down and to her surprise saw Jill standing beside her unit. _'What does she want?' _"A transport will arrive at dawn. Your order to care for your former maid is completed. Good work."

"That's it?" Ange clicked her tongue as Jill walked off. As she dropped into Villkiss and got the machine started, her eyes hovered at the radio. Time was running out and she had to make a choice now. _'Damn it all. That idiot has to know I could tell she was lying. Top maid my ass…' _Ange reached to the radio and opened a private channel to Alain. "You wanted an answer, and I've got one. I'll do it. Buying Momoka. I still think it's crazy but I don't see any other way."

"Then I'll be glad to help." Alain said. "Just be sure to keep your end of the deal."

"Yeah yeah." Ange grumbled. "I'll let the idiots make their due."

"Glad to hear it." Alain nodded, flexing his hands around his controls and the launches began. "Now, let's fly!"

* * *

Salia couldn't help but feel something was off once they finally got back. Ange had been almost _too _compliant during the sortie. The girl was normally all too happy to defy orders and fly off on her own, most of all when it came to kill stealing, even if that had dialed back a bit. _'I don't get it… why was she being so restrained this time?'_

"It was kinda weird huh?" Vivian said. "Ange was as aggressive as ever, but she wasn't taking kills from anyone at all! She pretty much never does that!"

"Alain seemed to fly a bit different today to." Ersha noted. "I wonder if something happened. They _did _arrive together."

"What are you suggesting?!" Salia snapped. "He wouldn't! He told me himself!"

"I was only kidding." Ersha said, Salia's face flushing.

"Big Bro wouldn't what?" Vivian asked.

"You don't need to know!" The two older girls said. Vivian again tilted her head in confusion. _'But seriously…' _Salia thought. _'Did Alain actually convince her to hold back? How did he manage that?'_

* * *

Momoka hadn't nearly expected there to be a crowd as she was leaving. The transport meant to take her back to Misurugi had arrived not long after morning. She only really wished she could give Ange one more goodbye, but knew there likely wouldn't be time for that. She had just recently returned from her previous mission and was doubtlessly busy. As she approached, the maid took a moment to bow to a concerned looking Emma and an impassive Jill.

"Thank you for taking care of me." She said. "It was only for a short time, but I was incredibly happy. Could you please let Lady Angelise know that?"

"I will." Emma assured.

"Alright, this way." One of the soldiers gestured. Emma felt all to uneasy as she looked the woman over. The rifle she carried was replete with an attached bayonet. _'Are they really going to kill her? There's no reason to…' _the Inspector wondered. It just didn't feel right at all.

"Thank you." Momoka turned to follow the soldier. Her cheerful expression faltered as she turned. At least she knew Ange wouldn't see her go. _'I hope you'll be happy from here on, Lady Angelise.'_

"Hold it right there!" Momoka turned to see Ange rushing towards her, hauling several bags totally full to the brim with money. And Alain was right behind her with a load of his own. "We're buying that girl!"

"Huh? What?!" Emma gasped and looked between Ange and Alain, the latter putting his arms behind his head and grinning. "You can't be serious! Do you really expect these ragged strips of paper to be worth a human life?!"

"Momoka?" Jill interrupted. "Do you accept their offer?"

"Uhm… yes." Momoka replied, not quite sure just _what _was going on.

"Fine with me." Jill said, Emma gasping in shock. "I'm calling off the transport. That girl's their property from now own." The soldiers gave a bemused stare but finally saluted before turning back to the transport. Alain raised a brow when they glanced at him for a moment, one of them making a rather subtle upward gesture. Alain dared shift his gaze up, and he barely suppressed a smirk as the pilot gave a salute of his own. _'Those sons of bitches. They got it done without me telling them to go ahead. I guess Big Boss's still a big softy.'_

"W-wait, Commander!" Emma objected.

"You can buy anything with enough money." Jill said. "That's the way the rules work here." As she passed by, Alain caught a smirk of her own on Jill's face. _'And maybe she isn't as stony as I thought.' _He supposed.

"But, but…" Emma sighed and cast some Mana over the bags, lifting them up as she turned off. "Wait, please!"

"I can really stay here?" Momoka approached Ange as the transport began to leave, barely a gust raising from the Mana engines. "I can stay here by your side, Lady Angelise?"

"Ange." Ange turned around, Alain snickering a bit as she was hiding a slight red tinge on her cheeks. "My name is Ange. Just call me that, got it?"

"Wait…" Momoka then looked at Alain. "Lady Angelise said "we"… you helped her?"

"We struck a deal." Alain replied. "I said I'd help her make sure you can stay so long as she stops making things a hassle for her team. Ange agreed, so I made up for half of the cost."

"Which means… then, should I call you Sir Alain from now on?" Alain tilted his head in honest consideration. A punch to his side from Ange stopped that train of thought quickly.

"What the hell!" Alain yelped.

"Absolutely not!" Ange snapped. "Don't go thinking you owe anything to this this extortionist pervert! All he did was make it easy for me to keep you here."

"Some gratitude would be appreciated." Alain grumbled. "Also quit slapping me with labels! I'm not an extortionist!"

"Oh but you won't deny the other one?" Ange challenged, Alain huffing.

"Oh my…" Momoka seemed about ready to cry. "Lady Angelise, just when I thought you would never be interested in romance!"

"Don't get any ideas!" Ange and Alain snapped.

"You're not posing a good argument when you talk in synch." The pilots turned, and who did they see but Jasmine walking up towards them, a slip of paper in hand. "Here. This receipt shows Momoka's now legally your property. Don't lose it, or I'm charging you both again. Also, when you're done with your lovers quarrel…" Jasmine chuckled as Alain and Ange glowered at her. "Jill said she wants you to gather with the rest of Garm in the briefing room one hour from now."

"Wait, why?" Alain asked. Then his eyes widened as he seemed to realize something Ange wasn't getting. "Wait, are you…?"

"You got it kid. They're going to be introduced to a future squad mate." Something was going on. Ange could tell from Jasmine's incredibly vague statement to Alain's knowing look. _'This better not be something weird.' _She thought.

* * *

The sudden call from Jill to gather in the briefing room didn't leave the girls of Garm all that thrilled. They'd just spent a long sortie out and were all to ready to get some sleep. Vivian was outright dozing off in her chair, only keeping barely awake from Ersha prodding her in the side every few seconds.

"What's the Commander thinking?" Rosalie yawned. "Can't we at least get some sleep first?"

"It better be worth it." Hilda grumbled. "Though I'm, curious why the maid is still here."

"I bought her." Ange said, Momoka nodding. "So she's not going anywhere."

"Wow, you actually stooped that low?" Rosalie sneered.

"Disgusting." Chris added.

"Both of you shut it." Hilda said. "It's not our problem." Both stared in shock at the red head, though Hilda could care less. It looked as if her little reality check at the gun range worked, and Hilda didn't care how Ange did it.

"It must have cost a fortune." Ersha said.

"Luckily, Alain helped me with it."

"No way!" Chris gasped.

"Don't go trying to stir something up." Salia bit, Ange giving the captain and impassive look.

"Believe me or not, your choice. Hell, it was his idea." _'So that was how he got her to hold back during the sortie.' _Salia realized. She wished Alain could have chosen a less unsavory method to do so, but knew he likely wouldn't have done so if he'd had another option. Salia had heard the rapidly circulating rumors, and the fact Momoka seemed somewhat sympathetic towards the Norma had earned the maids some points from her.

"At attention." The door flew open as Jill's commanding voice snapped any drowsiness out of the tired pilots. Each of them snapped up and to attention as Jill entered the room. "At ease. I know you're all likely tired from such a long flight, but there's something I have to disclose to all of you. Hey! Both of you move it!"

"Maybe you shouldn't walk to quickly when there's someone on a crutch." Alain's voice called from the hall.

"It just is how it is." And the voice that replied to Alain elicited a gasp from all but Ange and Momoka. The soft clack of a crutch on the floor almost became an echo, and the shock elevated into open disbelief as a girl with long pink hair stumbled into the room, Alain helping support her. "Hey everyone! It's been a while huh?" The room became so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

"NAOMI?!" Salia and Ersha yelled in synch, Vivian screaming at the top of her lungs. Chris and Rosalie grabbed each other, and Hilda had lurched out of her chair, her jaw slack and her violet eyes almost popping out of her head. All in all, reactions Alain felt fit the old phrase "you look like you've seen a ghost."

"Alain w-what's going on?!" Salia gasped. "How is… what?!"

"Is it… now way… Naomi is it really…?" Ersha gasped as tears started to fall down her face. "Alain… this isn't some kind of joke is it?"

"It is, it is!" Vivian started bouncing out of her chair. "I would never mistake a person's scent; it really is her!"

"Calm down all of you." Jill said, flicking her lighter open and taking a drag of a cigarette. "She didn't actually die during that incident two months ago. She's still undergoing recovery at the time, but Naomi's in a good enough state to return to work. Once she's back in proper physical condition however, she'll be rejoining Garm Squadron as a pilot."

"I've got a pretty big debt to pay off after all." Naomi said, taking a seat in a chair Alain pulled up.

"Whoa whoa whoa, just, slow down on us for a second!" Rosalie said, Chris nodding quickly. "C-Commander I don't mean anything but… what?! Alain how long have you known about this?!"

"Pretty much the entire time." Alain admitted.

"And you never thought to tell us?!" Salia shouted.

"Salia, I said calm down!" Jill barked, Salia obediently sitting down. "Alain didn't tell you because he wasn't allowed to. We couldn't have it openly known we had a Norma in a comatose state in the intensive care wing. The Management Board wouldn't have liked us wasting resources to keep her alive, and Naomi's subsequent debt is reparations for the cost of doing so."

"That hardly sounds fair." Momoka murmured.

"Costs have to be incurred." Jill said. "She'll begin working for Jasmine starting today, and once she's gotten through enough of her recovery be transferred over to the Armorers."

"I've got about three more weeks before I can actually begin proper training." Naomi said. "For now, it's just physical therapy to help me build muscle back up and get used to moving again. Hopefully, my muscle memory still works once I'm able to get back into the cockpit."

"Is it too much to ask for _one _day without drama?" Hilda griped, hiding her eyes behind her hands. While he couldn't be sure, Alain could swear he saw some tears of joy on her face.

"Are you kidding?! This is awesome!" Vivian said, Alain grabbing her by the collar when she shot over to Naomi. "We're actually getting someone _back _for once! That never happens! So cool! I wanna see that awesome Para-mail of yours flying again!"

"Hate to disappoint Vivian, but they probably stripped it down." Naomi said, looking to the side with dulls eyes.

"Not quite." Jill said, Alain clearing his throat as Jill then tapped his arm. "This one made sure it wasn't. That and Mei said the modifications you did to the internals were too much to just strip back to stock. Your Para-mail's been in storage since it was repaired."

"Wait seriously?!" Naomi likely would have shot up if she could, but even Vivian knew making sure she didn't move so suddenly was better for her, the younger girl now using the hug she was giving to keep Naomi in place. "Alain you really did that?"

"That's what that extra charge you mentioned paying at times was for?" Chris said, Alain nodding. "How did you convince them to let you pay an upkeep for a _second _Para-mail?"

"Not like I pay a ton for Wyvern's upkeep anyway." Alain commented. Which was true. His only real costs were for repairs, ammo, and the missiles the shield mounted. Otherwise he paid basically nothing compared to other pilots.

"Just how much behind the scenes stuff are you involved in?" Hilda said. _'More than you know.' _Alain dared glance to Salia at the thought, the violet haired girl clearing her throat.

"Either way." Salia approached Naomi and pat her shoulder. "I can't say I'm not glad. It's not every day a friend just comes back from the dead. Welcome back, Naomi."

"Glad to be back, Salia." Naomi agreed as she put a hand over Salia's.

"Well now I'm going to have to plan!" Ersha then pulled Naomi into a hug of her own, Naomi yelping a bit. "Something like this calls for a party! Oh, the kids are going to be over the moon to see you again as well!"

"If we're gonna throw a party then hell yeah!" Rosalie said, throwing a fist up.

"I suppose I can allow it." Jill sighed, the squad giving a cheer in response. Aside from the confused looking Ange anyway.

"I am so out of it when it comes to this…" Ange murmured, glancing at Momoka, who was clapping along to the mood. "Really?"

"It's just such a happy day don't you think?" Momoka said, Ange humming. "I get to remain here with you, and they've seen the return of a dear friend of their own."

"Yeah but part of me doesn't expect the good stuff to last." Ange said. As she saw the joy the group had as they began chatting it up, she couldn't help but sigh. _'It just doesn't feel like it can work that way. Something's going to end up going wrong at some point. I don't know why, I just feel it.'_

* * *

At some place far, far away from Arzenal, things were beginning to stir as well. The halls of the facility were quiet at the time, all but for the agitated grumbling of the man storming his way down it. In his late twenties, his dark hair in a clean crew cut fitting to the militaristic fatigues he wore. Leon Bartlett, aka Heartbreak, as in a foul mood. _'I cannot believe that old man!' _he thought, his dark grey eyes sparking as if they'd ignite a thunderstorm. At the end of the hall stood a door Leon threw open, the occupant within barely looking up from the file he was reading. Erich Dission, aka Big Boss, the leader of CROSS was an older man, his short beard and black hair peppered in grey streaks. And while age was beginning to show on the man's rugged face, his green eyes didn't lack a bit of strength to them.

"Boss the hell were you thinking approving that op?!" Leon snapped, slamming his hands on the older man's desk. "I told you when it came in it was too risky, and you still sent in our Rosenblum operatives?" Snapping the file closed, Dission looked up to his second in command.

"And what would you have rather done Leon? Just let an innocent girl die? Hasn't there been enough of that already?"

"Don't pull that with me. We had better options then risking blowing our cover. The kid doesn't spend enough time with our guys to know how we really operate, and it puts us at risk to indulge him."

"Risky it may have been, but the operators took the job knowing that. They didn't have to, and you know I'd never force anyone here to do an op they wouldn't want to." Leon looked to the side as Dission glanced at a photo on the desk. "Besides, Alain is also the only reason we know what's been going on in Arzenal ever since Alektra cut ties with us."

"What little we _do _know." Leon griped. "What good is having a pipeline into the place if we barely know what's going on there? We only get information from Arzenal once a month when Alain is sent out on those scouting missions."

"Then I think you'd be very interested to know what's happened as of late." Dission reached under the desk and pulled out a slip of paper. "We got a message. From a certain boy who's been camping on an island the past few years."

"Tusk?!" Leon gasped. They only ever heard from the young man when making the chance meeting with him or when he'd pass on the Para-mail components he salvaged. Other than that, Tusk had adamantly refused to join CROSS or help them beyond that. "He decided to get back into things?"

"Yeap." Erich nodded. "The boys in Garuda met up with him at Galia not that long ago. Now… if Tusk has gone and gotten back into operations, I think that can only mean one thing."

"You're not suggesting… no way! They couldn't have found a pilot for it!"

"I think they did. Remember that incident over a month ago in Misurugi, when it turned out the First Princess was a Norma?" Reopening the file he'd been reading, Dission showed a photo of a young girl with long blonde hair in a blood stained dress. "Hazarding a guess, that girl likely got shipped off to Arzenal. And if we're lucky, then she likely had her family's ring as well."

"But how can we know? If they really were able to reactivate Villkiss, Alektra sure as hell isn't going to trust us to know that. And there's no way Alain could find a situation to tell us without being outside of Arzenal. It's been over a month and he hasn't been sent out again."

"Perhaps not." Dission nodded. "Tusk is another matter. I'll have Garuda see if they can track him down agai." Leon sighed and sat down in a chair at the other side of the desk, leaning back. "Calmed down a bit?"

"More like you just made me focus on something else. Again. But I still think what you did was too risky. We've managed to lay low for a decade because our operatives _don't _stick their necks out. The last thing we need is people with a direct line to Embryo finding out we're still around."

"Though if Villkiss _has _been reawakened, then perhaps the time for laying low is over." Dission remarked. "I know you still remember the First Libertus, the disaster at Farbanti."

"Don't remind me." Leon grumbled. "I can still see that damned crimson machine hanging in the air even a decade later. But… until we have confirmation about Villkiss, I don't think we should be sticking our necks out."

"I do agree." Dission nodded. "Blame my old bleeding heart on this one. I just didn't like the idea of an innocent girl being killed to keep a secret."

"I don't either, but there's things we need to be practical about."

"There is such a thing as being _too _practical." Dission countered. "I worry you know? Unlike you, Alektra hasn't quite had the support to make sure _her _heart didn't turn to stone after what happened. I'm sure Jasmine and Maggy try their best, but that girl was always a stubborn sort. I can't imagine what'll happen the day she goes too far even for them."

"I'll say if there's one thing I can agree with Alain on, it's the obsession with Villkiss. We _know _what Villkiss can do, especially with the right pilot. But honestly, I'm more concerned with the kid's Wyvern. Compared to Villkiss we hardly know a thing about it, especially those particle engines."

"If Villkiss is the key to revolution against god, an angel turned against its master," Dission said. "then perhaps that machine is something similar. Perhaps the people of the world before ours made it themselves? There's a lot about that time that was lost when Embryo took over."

"Sometimes you just wish you could catch a break." Leon sighed. "Let's focus on what's ahead. I'll call in to Garuda and see if they can find out what Tusk knows. I'll also get in touch with Alain soon. That Festa thing should be soon right? A good a time as any to sneak a call in."

"And let's hope things remain calm until then." Dission's eyes drifted to the photo one more time. It was an aging thing, yellowed by time but it was still easily visible. Prominent in it was a younger looking Dission next to a younger Jasmine, at the time the commander of Arzenal herself. Near the two, a teenaged Jill and Leon, the former with her eyes off in another direction while the latter looked at her in a clearly concerned manner. Jill's eyes were off to another man standing beside an older woman and a small child, Tusk as a boy. And to the other side, standing with the Wyvern itself, a younger Alain was seated on the machine's hand. Next to him was a man looking at the boy with a warm gaze, and near him a woman with a striking resemblance to the boy her arms were keeping steady. It was a time that seemed so long ago now, and more than the two sets of parents in that image had been lost. _'If things really can begin again this time… then we can't lose twice. Once again though, I'm going to have to entrust the fate of everyone to the children who shouldn't even be fighting.'_


	13. Chapter 12: Salia's Woes

**Chapter 12: Salia's Woes**

_Captain's Log, March 3__rd__._

_Another incursion. One Galleon and Forty Schooners. 1__st__ Squadron was ordered to engage. While Ange's behavior has seen a pull back, she continues to defy her orders. She broke formation and downed the Galleon-class while everyone else was occupied with the Schooners._

_Discipline and obedience are necessary to maintain morale and efficiency within the unit. If Ange cannot do that, then we may have to pull her off Villkiss._

_Log complete. No additional notes._

_Casualties today: Zero._

* * *

The day just had to have that _one _kink in it. _'Actually, I supposed it'd be a series of them.' _Salia thought. Her eyes trailed over to Ange as she dismounted her Arquebus. A week had gone by since the Maid incident and Naomi's return to work, and somehow, they'd gone right from one problem to another. Whatever deal Ange had made with Alain in exchange for his help in buying out Momoka, Ange had been quick to find a loophole. The problem was no longer her stealing kills and preventing them from earning much cash. Instead, Ange just hung back and picked off stragglers, while the moment the rest of the squad was occupied, she would rush in and steal the big DRAGONs all on her own. Meaning that Ange remained the highest earner in Garm. And it was getting on just about _everyone's _nerves. _'Well, aside from Ersha and Vivian. They could at least spare a _bit _of annoyance about it.' _Salia groaned.

"Alright, I've had enough of this shit!" Rosalie stormed over to Ange as they were leaving the hangar. "What the hell is your deal?!"

"What?" Ange responded. "It's not like you all aren't earning money. What's the problem?"

"The _problem_ is you just swung the other way!" Rosalie replied. "Now you barely do a thing to help any of us, then when _we're _busy you steal the big kills for yourself! Some of us are barely making more than our supply costs!" Salia glance over as Rosalie gestured to the team, half-expecting Alain to speak up. Yet, he didn't. His narrowed expression said that rather, he _agreed _with what Rosalie was saying. _'Not that she's wrong.' _Salia decided.

"I don't do it all the time." Ange countered.

"Yeah, the _one _time Alain sniped it before you got to it!" Rosalie snapped. Ange sighed and then reached into her suit and pulled out a wad of crumpled bills. "What's this?"

"You keep whining about not having enough money." Ange said. "So here, for your troubles. Or do you want more?"

"Don't give me that bullshit!" Rosalie. "I'll kill you!"

"Alright alright!" Ersha trotted over and put her arms over Rosalie's shoulders. "Let's not fight now alright?"

"This behavior is unacceptable." Salia said. "Ange, why can't you follow orders?"

"I'm defeating the DRAGONs, aren't I?" Ange replied. "I'm also honoring my deal with Alain. So, again, what's the problem?"

"That isn't the point!" Salia snapped. "So long as you keep disrupting this squad-"

"Fine me or execute me, whatever suits you." Ange interrupted. "I don't really care."

"Ange!" Salia snapped. Her growl quieted a bit when Alain brushed her arm, the young man shaking his head. "But, Alain!"

"It's not worth it." Alain muttered, though Salia could see the shaking in his arm from his tensed fist. "If she's going to keep acting up, it just needs to be dealt with."

"Yeah, but how?" Salia wished she had some ideas. _'Maybe if something happens again? Something that can be used to convince her… but then there's those three. As long as that keeps up… god this is such a mess.'_

* * *

_Captain's Log, March 4__th__._

_We received a message from outside of Arzenal._

* * *

It was a rare time for Arzenal to get outside messages. It only usually happened when Alain was out on a "scouting excursion" and relayed things back. There was a time where this was much more common, but due to circumstances, particularly Jill's refusal to work with CROSS, this was a first in a long time.

"Arrived at the southern edge of Galia." Jasmine read off from the letter they'd received. It was far easier in these times to sneak messages along by mail rather than a digital line, since those were almost always being watched. "Made contact with some of our old friends. Planning to continue recon towards the Empire of Misurugi. I'll be damned, the snot-nosed brat is still alive."

"Tusk." Salia rolled the name over in her head. As she thought about it, a memory came to mind. It was an old one so it was hazy, but she did have _some _memory of a boy going by that name being in Arzenal at some time. "Oh, right. Wasn't he one of the kids from that time?"

"I'm surprised you remember him after this long." Alain commented.

"It's fuzzy, but I do." Salia responded. "There was plenty of us kids born around that time. I just remember him more than the other boys who left with the others who did back then because, well… he's the son of the Knight of Villkiss of that time, right?"

"Correct." Jill said.

"To think it was him who saved Ange." Maggy commented. "Talk about lucky."

"He must have been the one who fixed up the Villkiss then!" Mei said, Alain nodding.

"You knew where he was this entire time, didn't you?" Jill closed an eye as she looked to Alain, the young man looking to the side. "If you knew why keep it a secret hmm?"

"Because he asked me to." Alain said. "He wanted to lay low and not be too involved, and I'm not the kind to go against my word. So, I kept his location hidden."

"Yet from this message I'm guessing despite that he's been in contact with our old allies on the side." Jasmine added, then smirking at Alain. "You wouldn't _also _happen to know what that lot is up to as well would you?"

"What CROSS does doesn't concern us." Jill cut Alain off before he could say anything. "They chose to leave Arzenal after the first Libertus, so we have no reason to bother with them. Not after _that _incident."

"Farbanti wasn't their fault y'know?" Jasmine countered. Jill glared at her. "But I see there's no changing your mind, so I'll keep quiet."

"Good." Jill lit up a cigarette and let a drag out. "Jasmine, you'll be in charge of keeping contact with Tusk. We may need his help soon, but I also want to make sure he doesn't relay anything to CROSS. I don't want them knowing about Villkiss."

"I can tell him not to, but I can't stop him." Jasmine said, Jill huffing. "You can't control everything in the world you know?"

"As for other business…" Jill turned her eyes to Salia. "You want Ange taken off Villkiss?"

"She's gotten even more arrogant than before." Salia said. She did her best to ignore the look Alain was giving her. "Her selfish behavior is going to put the squad at risk eventually. Before that happens-"

"Before that happens," Jill cut in. "the captain should do something about it." Salia gasped a bit at the cutting remark. "You can deal with it. I'm counting on you, Salia."

"Yes, ma'am." Salia could never argue against Jill when she said that. A part of her didn't like it, but, she also didn't want to betray that. If Jill was counting on her, then what else could she even do?

* * *

_Captain's Log, March 5__th__._

_Everyone is being selfish. It's not like I asked to be captain. Is it too much to ask things to be made a little easier on me?_

* * *

"This is unacceptable!" The lunchroom's normalcy, once again, felt itself being broken up thanks to Momoka's presence. Though not because of the maid's own antics, rather, Emma's disbelief over the entire situation. "How could a human serve a Norma? Norma are violent, anti-social, uneducated, dirty, mana-less byproducts of society!"

"Yeah yeah." Ange waved Emma off as she finished her food, Momoka taking the tray as Ange pushed it back.

"Momoka, are you aware of what you're doing?" Emma said. "You can't be alright with this can you? And Alain… he hasn't… you know, tried anything?"

"She hasn't offered yet if that's what you mean!" Alain loudly said, Emma shooting him a glare.

"I'm perfectly happy with how things are." Momoka replied. "And Sir Alain hasn't done anything wrongful. In fact, despite his rough attitude, he's surprisingly quite the gentleman."

"Besides if he _did _try anything, I'd kill him." Ange said. Emma sighed and walked off with her head hung. She'd just have to accept this one as a loss.

"Good on you, Momoka." Vivian said, giving the maid a thumbs up. "You get to stay with Ange!"

"The Inspector hasn't really changed her attitude much huh?" Naomi commented. "Though guess she still singles you out, huh Alain?"

"She _actually _believes some of those stupid rumors about me." Alain grumbled, stretching his arms out on the table. Alain looked over as Ersha let out a sigh. "What's up Ersha? Pocketbook getting a bit thin?"

"The Festa is coming up soon, right?" Ersha said, closing the check booklet in her hands. "I wanted to arrange some things for the children, but I'm not quite sure I have enough for what I've got planned."

"I told you I'd pitch in with that last night." Alain said.

"And I'm glad you are. But this is about some other things." Ersha replied, Alain humming while the pinkette ruffled his hair.

"The Festa eh?" Naomi hummed. "Glad I woke up in time for that but… ehh, man I'm not gonna be in any shape to participate in the sports events though! Ahh man, and I could really use that prize to shave off a chunk of my debt too!"

"But hey after that you'll be flying with us again won't you?" Vivian asked. "Once you're back in the air I'm sure you'll be earning loads! You're such an awesome pilot!"

"Hehe, thanks Vivi." Naomi ruffled the younger girl's hair, Vivian proudly chuckling. "Though you're pretty awesome too. I've watched you in the Razor, it's awesome you were good enough to be assigned one."

"I know right?" Vivian puffed out her chest and stuck her nose up.

"Naomi, don't make her head any bigger than it is." Alain mused, Naomi sticking the tip of her tongue out at him.

"Unless we do something about Ange, nobody's going to be making any money." Salia said, Ersha nodding.

"What _are _you doing to do?" Hilda approached with Chris and Rosalie. "She's filthy rich. Whatever punishment you hand her she'll probably just buy her way out of it. Alain practically had to bribe her to get her to listen to him and look where _that _went! Just face it, it's hopeless."

"What's your point?" Salia bit.

"Hate to say it, but…" Hilda said. "this kind of crap would never have happened when Zola was around. She knew how to make people respect her. If you'd like, I could always take over as captain." Salia narrowed her eyes and walked off without a reply.

"Hilda, that's pretty unfair." Naomi said. "Salia's trying her best. She's not Zola. The last thing she needs is you piling it on."

"What else am I supposed to do?" Hilda said. "You weren't around to see all the trouble that Ange caused. And we have a captain who doesn't have to guts to lay down the law. Maybe she'd like being able to step back from the spot."

"And what, because you'd do better?" Alain said, Hilda snapping towards him. "If you were captain, all you'd do is escalate things. An Naomi's right, cut Salia a bit of slack. Ange isn't an easy case to deal with. I'd know."

"Like the captain of a one-man "squad" has room to talk." Hilda huffed and turned on her heel, Chris and Rosalie watching her go with somewhat bothered looks.

"How long are you two just gonna plod along behind her?" Alain asked, the two other girls turning back around. "I get Hilda bought up all of Zola's assets but come on. I know you two don't hate Ange _that _much despite your problems with her."

"Well, yeah I don't like the problems she causes." Rosalie said. "But Hilda does have a point don't you think? Salia's barely done anything but chew Ange out. Hasn't she at least gone to the Commander about this?"

"She did, and Jill told her that it's her problem." Alain explained.

"Figures." Chris sighed. "But, we're with Hilda as long as Ange keeps this stuff up. What reason do we have to want to work with her? Alain, you've gotta feel the same, don't you? She gets in your way too!"

"I wouldn't call it getting in my way." Alain said. "Look you two, just give it some thought. I'm not gonna be attached to Garm forever, so you can't keep relying on me to keep Ange in line if she goes too far."

"Yeah we know." Rosalie muttered.

"Rosalie, Chris, what's keeping you?!" Hilda called.

"Coming!" Chris and Rosalie answered as they scurried off.

"Hilda's still got a chip against you eh?" Naomi commented, Alain sighing. "I swear you two are like an old married couple."

"Don't even joke about that." Alain groaned.

"I'm serious." Naomi grinned. "She's _always _been a tsundere when it comes to you. I even had a bet with Irene in Drake Squad about when you two would end up sleeping together."

"What do you guys mean?" Vivian asked. "Hilda just needs to sleep with Big Bro? Like a slumber party?"

"Uh…" Naomi said with a blush. "Yeah sure go with that."

"I feel like I'm missing something." Vivian said with a frown. "What do you guys do with Big Bro that I can't know about?!"

"Like I said, when you're a bit older." Ersha said.

"I'm gonna go catch up with Salia and make sure she's doing alright." Alain announced, taking off with a speed that rivaled Wyvern in overdrive.

"You know what, I just remembered something!" Naomi also stood up quickly. "I need to finalize some things with Jasmine before I move to the Armorers tomorrow! Talk to you later Ersha!"

"H-Hold on, you two!" Ersha sighed as she was left on her own with a staring Vivian. _'Don't just leave me with her when she's like this!' _Then she had an idea of her own. "Ahh! I also have some business! I need to check in on the little ones, so I'll be heading off too!"

"Eh? What?! You're _all _busy?!" Vivian gasped, staring as Ersha hurried off. Vivian shook her head and then shot after Ersha. "Come on Ersha! Can't you at give me a hint?!"

* * *

_Captain's Log, March 5__th__._

_Addendum: Underwent psychological maintenance to manage stress._

* * *

The constant fighting on Arzenal was a thing that wore on the psyche of the Norma. Salia had seen it a lot over the years. Veteran Norma who either hit the breaking point and took their own lives or allowed the stress to change them completely. Zola had been a prime example of the latter. Once upon a time, her former Captain had been someone Salia admired. She didn't know just what the trigger was, but it was around the time Salia had graduated from reserves that Zola became the shameless hedonist she was now remembered as.

So of course, a necessity was to find ways to relieve that piled on stress through some means or another. Many Norma turned to the more physical kind of relief, venting their emotions to one another and finding solace in more intimate companionship. Something Salia herself had done with Alain. All the better for her too, since Salia was one of the few Norma with little interest in pursuing the same sex. Unfortunately, as much as she wished she could, it wasn't like Salia could monopolize Alain so she had to find additional methods for when he wasn't available. And after that encounter with Hilda in the lunchroom she needed it. Thankfully, Jasmine could always be trusted to keep a secret with a little extra cash thrown her way.

"The usual." Despite the fact Salia _did _trust Jasmine, she couldn't help but want to look away.

"Use the furthest one down." Jasmine said, gesturing to the changing stalls with her pipe. Making sure nobody was looking, Salia quickly ducked into the stall and secured the curtain behind her. It was unfortunate the changing stalls weren't _quite _what one could call sound proof, but the buzz of the mall did plenty to drown out excess noise. _'Besides, I don't need anyone finding out about this hobby of mine.' _Salia nodded to herself as she pulled the open the package she'd brought from her quarters. It was a good thing she'd ordered a dresser with a secret compartment. Vivian was her roommate and the girl had an inconvenient habit of finding things Salia hid in more conventional places.

"Be taken by the power of love! Making you fall in love! Bishoujo Holy Knight Pretty Salian! Charging right next to you!" Toy wand in hand, and mimicking her favorite poses, Salia couldn't help but giddily smile at herself in the mirror. The cute, frilly pink outfit she so adored from the manga she swore to never let anyone know she _actually _read despite being "too old" for it. _'Who says you're too old to enjoy something like this?' _she thought. "My shining love energy will make you fall in love with me!"

"What in the…?" Salia almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a voice. Snapping around, she saw, to her horror, Alain looking at her through a slight gap in the curtain. _'Why him of all people?!'_

"I was uh…" Alain said. "Gonna check up on you but you're clearly busy so…" As he turned, Salia's hand shot from the curtain and yanked him in. "GAGH?!"

"What the hell are you doing?!" Using the toy staff as if it wasa weapon, Salia put Alain against the wall of the stall, the blue-haired young man throwing his hands up in surrender. "Better question, why did you peek?!"

"I heard you yelling something and got worried." Alain stammered. "I thought you might've been having some kind of breakdown but… clearly not." _'Oh god, he totally thinks I'm weird now!' _Salia couldn't stop the worry she felt well up in her chest. _'I mean it's not like I _haven't _worn some outfits in front of him but that was different! _This _is different!' _"Would it be weird for me to say I think you look kinda cute?"

"C-Cute?!" Salia gasped.

"Well I mean I think you're cute in general but yeah." Alain said. "Holy Knight Pretty Lilian, right? Some of the kids like that one and make me read it to 'em." _'Cute…' _Salia repeated. _'he thinks I'm cute.' _An idea crossed Salia's mind and she grinned darkly.

"Hey Alain…" she whispered. "If I asked you to do something, would you?"

"If I don't have a reason to say no, then yeah." He answered. _'Why do I have a bad feeling?' _he wondered. Salia meanwhile licked her lips as she leaned in near his ear when the curtain suddenly flew open and Salia froze as a head of blonde hair was reflected in the mirror.

"Hey there." Alain said. Ange just stared at them for a moment longer and then closed the curtain.

"Can I get another one?" she asked. "This one is being used." _'Whoo boy.' _Alain couldn't have cared less. It wasn't like this was the first time he'd been caught in a compromising position with a girl. But Salia was another matter.

"Sh-She… Sh-Sh-She saw me!" Salia shuddered as she sank to her knees. "She knows my secret! Oh what if this gets out?!" Images of Hilda and company laughing wildly flashed across her mind, but perhaps even worse was Jill with nothing but disappointment on her face.

"Look I'll talk to her." Alain tried to assure her. "I'll make sure she never agrees to tell anyone." But the look on Salia's face wasn't telling him she thought he could. _'I'm gonna have to step in before something stupid happens, am I?'_

* * *

With the day coming to a close, it was as good a time as any for bathing. Ange had gone ahead of the rest since she preferred bathing on her own anyway. Though with Momoka to accompany her now, it did give the former princess a feeling of having some routine od her old life again. She couldn't say she hated it.

"Is this comfortable milday?" Momoka asked as she scrubbed Ange's back.

"You're fine." Ange said. The mirror let her see the door from the showers open. Salia entered, oddly enough still in full uniform. Before either of them could ask what the deal was, Salia was already lunging forward with her knife.

"You're dead!" Leaping to her feet, Ange used the plastic was bin as an impromptu shield to catch the blade.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Ange yelled.

"You saw me!" Salia snapped. "You have to die!"

"I haven't told anyone!"

"You haven't told anyone _yet!" _Salia dislodged her knife and took a few more swings, Ange dodging and managing to recatch the knife on the bucket.

"Who would I tell?" Ange said. "And not like it matters to me what you do."

"It doesn't… matter?" Salia muttered. Ange seized her moment and yanked the tub aside, sending it and the knife bouncing across the onsen's surface. "You give me so much trouble, and it doesn't even matter to you?! We're supposed to be a team! But every time you just go off on your own!"

"You mean those money-grubbing backstabbers!? Team my ass!" Grabbing Salia by her shirt, Ange monkey flipped her and sent Salia somersaulting into the bath. As she stood up, Ange looked down at her hand realized she was still holding onto Salia's top.

"What the hell's going on?!" As Alain came running in, his look sank as Ange looked back at him, Salia rising out of the water and immediately covering her chest. _'Sometimes I hate being right.'_

"Good, you're here." Ange told him. "I want you to listen in to! You never do anything to stop them. The truth is you want me to die too, don't you? I'm not going to get killed by the likes of you. That's why I fight alone."

"How can you be so selfish!?" Salia charged at Ange again, the blonde growling as they grappled each other. "I've had enough!"

"And I've had enough of _your _crap!" Together, both wound up stumbling into the bath again. Alain, unsure how to even deal with this, just stood there with a twitching eye. _'What can I even do here? Just telling them to stop won't work.'_

"First I was forced to be Captain!" Salia yelled between swings. "Then no one listens to me! And _then _not only did you take Villkiss from me, you saw my secret!" Force it was.

"Dammit break it up!" Alain jumped in, grabbing Salia and Ange by their forearms as they kept swiping. "If you both have things to vent at each other there's better places to do it than here for hell's sake!"

"And what have you done?!" Ange yelled, pulling her arm free. "You're just as bad as her! You could damn well stop those idiots, but you don't do a damn thing!"

"Oh, and like you're helping?!" Alain retaliated. "The only damn reason none of this stops is because _you _keep acting like this! It's called a two-way street sweetheart! It's not all about you!"

"It's all your fault anyway!" Salia yelled.

"I said cut it out!" Alain tried to stop them again when his foot suddenly slipped on the base of the onsen as Salia's struggling sent him off balance and then _right _into Ange's chest. The blonde's face went beet red while Salia reeled back in shock. Alain groaned as he shifted back, Ange's look tensing as she covered herself. "Now just hold on…"

"Pervert!" Ange's fist promptly slammed across Alain's face, the boy yelping as he careened to the side and splashed into the pool. Momoka looked around desperately as the two girls went back to fighting while the door opened again and Vivian and Ersha appeared, the former chatting it up as usual.

"See that's why I think minced meat is better than croquettes for curry-Whoa what's going on?!" Vivian gasped, looking down to the groaning Alain as she saw the fighting.

"Oh dear." Ersha said. "What a mess."

"Excuse me!" Momoka begged. "Could you help me stop them please?" Vivian and Ersha looked at each other then to Ange and Salia. Momoka didn't like the giddy smile Vivian showed.

"Don't they know what a bath is for?" Ersha faux wondered. "The least they could do is wash off first." As Alain was regaining his senses, he looked up just in time to see Ersha tossing out a pair of brooms. "Here you go! Have fun kids!" As they left, Vivian also grabbed a hold of Momoka, the maid struggling as she was dragged off.

"Lady Angelise!" Momoka said. "S-Sir Alain, please try and stop them!"

"Ersha what the hell!?" Alain shot up as the two trotted off, turning as Salia and Ange fought with the brooms like they were quarter staffs. "I said to knock it the hell off!" Struggling to his feet, Alain managed to get between them again. But, Ange's foot sprung up from the water and planted itself clean on his chin. Already woozy from the last hit, this one made Alain black out and collapse into the onsen.

"Alain?!" Salia shouted as Alain's eyes glazed over. "You damn muscle pig!"

"Oh shut up microboobs!" And they continued to fight until security came in to break it up.

* * *

So of course, the end result was all three of them being dragged to the command center. Emma looked about ready to explode as she looked the three Norma over, Alain ironically looking the worst off despite his minimal involvement thanks to just how hard Ange had hit him. The operators were quietly talking amongst themselves, while Jill just stared through half-lidded eyes with all the air of a disappointed parent.

"Do you need to fight in the base too?" Emma demanded.

"Hey, I was trying to break it up." Alain pointed out.

"Quiet you!" Emma snapped, Alain looking towards the ceiling. "Ugh, this is why I can't stand working with Norma."

"This kind of behavior is unlike you, Salia." Jill noted, Salia looking to the side.

"Not like it matters." Salia grumbled. Alain outright blanched when Emma slapped a thick stack of papers onto the console in front of the three.

"Fifty pages of repentance essays, each." Emma said. "By tomorrow morning."

"Ma'am." Salia curtly replied while Alain and Ange were slower in giving the salute. _'Why do I have to do this too?' _both thought, Ange's thoughts being punctuated by a small buzz at her nose, giving a small sneeze a moment later. _'Oh what the hell?' _she thought.

* * *

Momoka hummed to herself as she pushed a cart of handmade breakfast into Ange's room. While the facilities in Arzenal weren't quite what the maid would have preferred, a kitchen was a kitchen and she was not one to let such things go to waste. Last night may have been hectic, but in the end Momoka could supposed it turned out alright.

"Good morning, Lady Angelise!" Momoka greeted her still sleeping mistress. "I brought you breakfast again. I also finished your essay last night, so no need to worry there." What was odd was the lack of response. Momoka figured that thanks to the rather fast nature of Arzenal, Ange had become an early riser so the silence Momoka got was confusing to say the least. Even back in Misurugi she would always wake up when called upon without fail. "Lady Angelise?"And Momoka got her answer as she leaned in closer. Ange's breathing was labored, and her face was burning red to match the fever radiating from her brow.

* * *

"A cold?!" Vivian's outcry summed up Garm Squadron's morning briefing. It wasn't like hearing a squad member being on the bench for a while was uncommon, but on Arzenal it was downright unheard of for it to be because someone got sick. Least of all because any pilot worth their salt knew it was better to hedge their bets and avoid anything that _could _bench them that was at least within their control. It was one thing when someone was in the infirmary due to injuries fighting DRAGONs. It was another when they caught a fever due to some shenanigans in the bath.

"Because of it, Ange is going to be on standby until the fever goes down." Salia explained. "Until then, we'll be continuing our normal missions without her."

"Hey, remind me how much you lose on break." Rosalie chirped up.

"One million cash per-day." Salia stated.

"Haha, poor little her!" Hilda cackled, looking all too pleased at the turn of events.

"Ohh, I wonder if she'll go bankrupt!" Chris snickered.

"Maybe this'll at least mean you three can cool the hell off." Alain grumbled, still with some bandages on his face because of last night.

"Now now, no need to feel grumpy because you got knocked out by a girl." Hilda crowed. "At least you got a face full of her boobs."

"Hilda, if you want to start something, we can take this to the mat right now." The others backed away a bit as lightning shot between the two. At least that stayed unchanged.

"Both of you, enough." Salia said. "Training starts in 0100!"

* * *

_Captain's Log, March 6__th__._

_Training continues without incident. Without the presence of Ange, the squadron's discipline has also seemed to return to normal. Hopefully I'll be able to use this chance to find some way to maintain this once Ange returns to duty._

_Casualties today: Zero._


	14. Chapter 13: Day After Day

_Rondo in the Endless Sky_

**Chapter 13: Day After Day**

For Naomi, the drone and buzz of the Armorers at work was a welcome thing. She still had a bit longer before she would be moved back to pilot but the past few days working with Mei and her girls were nice. Plus, she'd never pass up a chance to work on her friend's machines. Especially when it came to the Wyvern, which like Mei she had quite the vested interest in.

"Well, Alain's been taking good care of you big guy." Naomi looked over her data pad as she ran the numbers, seated at the edge of the cockpit with the device hooked into the console. "Though he's always been rather good at OS stuff. Ironic that he can do this but hates paperwork huh?"

"_He spent all of the other night complaining about the essay Inspector Bronson had forced him to write." _Wyvern said, Naomi laughing. _"Plus, progress has finally been made on moving past the locks on the quantum computer."_

"Yeah I read that. That ARISE System thing." Naomi turned around to face the wings. Particularly the wider segments between the "feather" portions, where the main structure was, and at the cone structures that were currently humming from the active engine, a faint green glow emanating from them. "Even after all this time you're still Arzenal's biggest mystery. Mei can work wonders with the Villkiss, but I still wonder what it is about these things that's stumped everyone for so long."

"_I would presume as with other systems, the information behind the ND Drives is also locked within one of the layers of the quantum computer." _Wyvern remarked. _"It is unfortunate my access to this information is closed off."_

"How did Alain even get the first one undone anyway?" Naomi asked as she dropped into the cockpit. "Was it just blind luck, or did whoever make you add on some kind of requirements for the pilot?" Naomi picked up the headset Alain always wore when piloting. It was the one piece of equipment he didn't place in his locker and like Wyvern completed different from anything else in Arzenal. "Man, I wish we knew more about you. Would make some of this so much easier."

"_Unfortunately, even if we did I doubt Arzenal has the means to replicate the ND Drives' technology." _With a defeated sigh, Naomi ran the last few checks on the datapad and shut off the unit. She took it a bit slow as she climbed out of the unit. She'd gotten much better over the past few weeks but she still wasn't at one hundred percent.

"Oi! Naomi!" The pink haired girl turned when she heard Mei over the clamor of the hangar. "Mind helping me out with Villkiss? I need someone to check the frame while I wrap up the engine work!"

"No problem!" A chance to do some work on _that _machine was a welcome event. As the two mechanics worked on it, Naomi peeked out from her spot as she saw someone approach, seeing Salia once she was out far enough. _'I wonder if she's still caught up on this thing… has been since she tried flying it four years ago last I remember.'_

"Good work, Mei." Salia said, Mei leaning out from the engine hatch.

"Thanks, Salia." Mei responded, giving a few extra turns of her wrench.

"How does the Villkiss look?" Salia asked. _'Yep, still on it.' _Naomi confirmed.

"Well he's always a mess when Ange brings him back. Maintenance is a pain." Mei said. "Getting a few days to get him in order is welcome."

"It's an important machine." Salia noted. "Damn her. She should give it some more care."

"Alain is worse." Naomi commented, leaning forward on Villkiss's frame. "I swear he pushes Wyvern way too hard. Its engines smell horrible every time he comes back. It's like he never pulls back the throttle!"

"And to think he just upgraded them too." Mei joked, Naomi snickering. "But he's always been heated like that. Ange pilots in a kinda similar way to him."

"What do you mean?" Salia asked.

"Well," Mei replied. "After working on machines for a while I can kind of tell what the pilot's feeling. Haven't you noticed nobody's died since she started piloting Villkiss? Maybe she doesn't do it for the money… maybe she just doesn't want anyone else to die?"

"You're definitely overthinking it." Salia countered. She just couldn't believe that kind of idea. Ange was nothing but a problem to her and the squad. _'There's no way she'd every think anything that selfless.'_

"I mean you could also chalk it up to Alain." Mei admitted. "People are pretty much guaranteed to make it back if he's flying with them. I heard the other squads are _still _mad he's attached to Garm."

"Stick with Trigger and you'll make it." Naomi got a nod from Mei as she repeated the oft said phrase. Salia looked stuck on the earlier statement though, hurrying off without even a goodbye, nearly crashing into Alain as he walked by. "What's up?"

"Wanted to check up on my partner is all." Alain said. "I mean he's definitely in good hands, but he gets lonely y'know?"

"_Alain you always have my terminal with you." _Wyvern stated, Alain's expression dropping. _"Making an excuse to come to the hangar is unnecessary."_

"Quiet you." Alain huffed, Naomi and Mei chuckling. "I also wanted to see how you're holding up."

"Alain I'm fine." Naomi said, stepping over and tapping Alain on the nose. "I'm basically back in good shape at this point. I'll be training with you lot again in no time at the rate I'm going. Besides I think last night proved how well I've gotten back in shape anyway."

"Not in front of the younger ones." Alain said, glancing back as some of the other Armorers suddenly seemed rather interested in what they were talking about. "Also, Mei, there was that thing you wanted me to see?"

"Oh yeah! Nearly forgot!" Mei pocketed her tools and closed Villkiss up, hopping down to the floor. "Both you _and _Naomi actually. Everyone, get finished up and move the Para-mail back to storage!"

"Yes ma'am!" As the others got to that, Mei took the lead. It wasn't a long trip at all, only bringing the three to the storage area Villkiss had formerly been stowed away in. Naomi looked like she'd caught on as soon as they entered and was bouncing on her heels as Mei cycled the storage mounts until a particular machine rolled into view.

"Here it is!" Mei said, approaching the cloth covered machine, Alain following her to help remove the cover. Both gripped tight and whipped it off quickly. "The machine kept under special containment orders-"

"My Halberd!" Naomi practically jumped to the machine before Mei could finish. The basic frame of the machine was recognizable as an Arquebus, but so heavily modified that the term was somewhat stretched. It was primarily white with black highlighting, but standing out was the right wing, differentiated by being a vibrant red. And the nose was also marked by Naomi's emblem, a pixy with a single wing. "Ahhh mama missed you! I'm so sorry you had to be left in here for so long! But don't worry, you'll be back in the air where you belong soon enough!"

"_Naomi, the Halberd lacks an AI of its own." _Wyvern said. _"Talking to it won't result in anything."_

"How rude!" Naomi objected. "Just because Halberd doesn't have a voice like you doesn't mean he lacks a spirit too! All Para-mail do in some way or another."

"_The concept of the soul has not been scientifically proven." _The terminal said. _"To insinuate such things be it mechanical or organic is illogical."_

"I mean I agree with Naomi." Mei said. "I'm sure if Villkiss could talk we'd hear wonders about what he thinks about Ange."

"Well damn, now that just has me curious." Alain mused, just as the alarm began to blare. "Ahh geez. Well, duty calls!"

* * *

After she'd left the hangar, Salia had beelined right for her room. What Mei had said was nagging at her. _'It's just because Alain's been with us. Besides, we had a high survival rate under Zola too. There's no way.' _Once she was back to her room, Salia took to her desk and opened her computer. She went right to her captain's logs, starting from the earliest one after Ange had been assigned to the Villkiss.

"February 14th. Zero casualties. February 18th. Zero casualties." Salia shook her head. "It… no, there's just no way." She just couldn't accept the idea. Ange was too improper, too self-absorbed. _'She's everything the Villkiss Rider _shouldn't _be. I still don't understand why Jill lets her stay on it. All because she came from some stupid royal family? Why does that even have to matter? Why does Jill trust her more than me? And besides, without Villkiss, I can't-' _the blare of the first encounter alarm cut through her thoughts, and Salia refocused immediately. If she wanted to stew on things, then she could do it later.

* * *

Alain was keen on keeping an eye on Garm's temperament as the Para-mails were being taxied into place. It would be their first sortie without Ange. And while attitudes had seemed to cool off a bit during training, part of him was uneasy. There was still the matter of Hilda and the fact she clearly didn't intend on showing Salia any respect as Captain.

"Captain to all units." _'Speak of the devil.'_ Alain chuckled as he lowered his visor. "Ange is still unable to pilot. So the seven of us will be sortieing without her. Thankfully, Trigger's still with us so that makes up for our missing one."

"Not like he's left at all." Hilda huffed.

"Ah zip it Count." Alain countered. Hilda's response was a middle finger over the monitor.

"All-units ready for liftoff!" Mei announced.

"Garm Squadron," Salia said as the engines roared to life. "lift off!"

"Mobius One, following suit." As the squad lifted up and took formation, Alain was already working on running numbers through Wyvern's computer. "What's the projected incursion site?"

"_It's rather far out." _Wyvern answered. _"From the looks of it, you'll be heading out to Area B7R for this incursion."_

"No way the Round Table?!" Vivian gasped. "Awesome! We almost never go there!"

"Now I almost feel sorry for Princess." Hilda snickered. "She's missing out on the big test."

"I don't like that place." Chris muttered. "My Para-mail doesn't have updated instruments to deal with it."

"Just hang back with me and Swan." Rosalie said. "We'll cover you."

"Cut the chatter."Salia barked, the others complying. Area B7R was a section of the area Arzenal operated in that held one of the larger islands in the quadrant. It was also one of the furthest out that the Para-mails could reach. It earned it's nickname of "Round Table" thanks to the ring of small, flat-topped mountains marking the edge of the island while it's center composed of a mostly dried out lakebed. It was considered a testing ground by the Norma since the mountains had an odd magnetic field that would cause standard-issued instruments to occasionally malfunction, and when within it also cut the team off from long-ranged communications.

"_Something is… different." _Wyvern suddenly spoke up as the squad began approaching the island, already in view of the opening singular. _"The readings I'm getting are rather abnormal."_

"Abnormal how?" Alain got his answer as the singular tore the sky open. Par for the course, the expected swarm of Schooners made their way out first, when the rift sudden turned downward. A large shadow cast itself over the ground as a DRAGON bigger than any of them had seen toppled out of the gap. As large as a Galleon, the wings sprouting from it's forearms were so undeveloped they looked more like decorative frills, leaving it to walk on all fours on titanic legs. Armored plates ran along it's back while it's head was crested by a pair of massive horns that spanned a distance roughly half that of it's body.

"Whoa that's huge!" Vivian gasped.

"It certainly is." Ersha agreed.

"Teach, anything on the big one?"Hilda asked.

"There isn't anything." Alain commented, already drumming his fingers as his eyes glinted in excitement. "No mistaking it, we've got a Virgin!"

"Trigger's right."Salia said. "I've never seen one like that."

"Are you serious?!"Rosalie excitedly gasped.

"Then that means, it's a…"Chris was also downright bouncing in her cockpit at the revelation.

"We've hit the jackpot."Hilda chuckled, licking her lips.

"_I would advise caution." _Wyvern said, the Para-mails beginning to circle the DRAGONs. _"Not knowing what the enemy is capable of means we should hang back. Try to figure out if it has any special abilities before moving in."_

"Yeah but we'll be filthy rich just getting information on it!"Rosalie said. "C'mon big guy let us have a bit of fun! Trigger can't you make your machine not be so stiff?"

"_I am not stiff. I am being logical." _Wyvern countered.

"I've gotta agree with him on this one Stingy." Alain replied. "I'm excited too believe me, but we'd be idiots to rush in there without knowing what it can do. It's big, can't fly, and has massive horns. That's all we've got. And you all know the big ones like to pull stuff out of nowhere."

"Ah c'mon Trigger, where's your sense of adventure at?" Hilda said. "We should just eat this virgin up and go home to swim in a bath of money."

"Teach to Arzenal, requesting backup." Salia spoke. _'Maybe being a bit _too _cautious with that one.' _Alain thought.

"What?! We'll lose out on earnings if we call for backup!" Rosalie objected. Hilda pulled up beside Salia's Arquebus as they approached.

"Zola never freaked out when faced with a virgin." Hilda countered as Alain pulled up right over her unit.

"Zola _also _never rushed in like a dumbass." Alain countered. "Or did you forget she whipped your ass for trying to pull that?"

"Shut up!" Hilda snapped. "If you two wanna be wimps about it then fine. Rosalie, Chris, you're coming with me!"

"Dammit Count actually show some restraint!" Alain snapped, grinding his teeth as their three machines pulled ahead of the pack. "Damn it all to hell! Wyvern get an analysis running on the big one stat. See if you can't pick anything out."

"_Roger."_

"My hair's tingling." Vivian muttered. _'That's not a good sign.' _Alain thought. One of the things that made Vivian such a good pilot despite her age was an unusual perception that bordered on a sixth sense. If Vivian was feeling on edge, then it meant nothing good was coming around.

"If they want to hold back then we'll just take all the earnings!" Hilda meanwhile was all too ready to charge ahead. She smirked as the Schooners charged forward. "Rosalie, Chris, fire!" A few of the Schooners got past the opening barrage, the three Para-mails diving away from the charge. _'The ones hanging back can deal with the small fry.' _Hilda looked down at the Virgin as she flew over it. As expected, it was slow and plodding. And those large lateral horns limited the degree it could turn its head without losing balance. "No way our guns are getting through those scales. Pretty slow too. But, if he's so big and tough up here…" Hilda flew low and confirmed her suspicions. "Bingo! He's all nice and flabby underneath! Aim for its belly, we'll finish it quick!"

"Roger!" Rosalie responded as all three shifted to destroyer mode. The DRAGON let out a roar, and in bizarre fashion, the Schooners broke away and flew straight upwards, even the ones who'd been fighting the rest of the squad.

"What's going on?" Ersha wondered.

"That can't be good." Alain said. "Wyvern keep an eye on your scanners."

"_It would be impossible for my scanners to "see" themselves."_

"You know what I mean!"

"Tingly…" Vivian murmured. "Tingly, _really _tingly…" That bad feeling in both Vivian and Alain only compounded as Hilda and company rushed the DRAGON and its horns started to glow.

"Hilda pull back!" Salia ordered. A sigil circle spread out from underneath the DRAGON, a dome of effected air rippling overhead. Hilda gasped as her Glaive was suddenly dragged out of the air and to the ground, same with Rosalie and Chris's machines.

"What the hell?!" Hilda shouted. It felt like her body was being held down by an invisible press.

"I can't move at all!" Rosalie gasped.

"W-What's going on?!" Chris panicked.

"_It's a gravitational anomaly." _Wyvern said. _"Anything the radius of that circle is pulled down."_

"How are we supposed to fight something like that?" Alain yelled when the circle grew bigger and he felt his body get heavier. "Oh crap." And just like the other three, the rest of them got dragged to the ground.

"All units, defensive stance!" Salia yelled, everyone transforming their machines to at least make an effort to fight back.

"It's those horns!" Vivian said. "Gotta take them out!" Her machine reared its arm back and tossed it's boomerang, but it didn't even get halfway between the Razor and the DRAGON before planting into the ground. Even worse was the gravity getting stronger, the area effected by the circle sinking into a depression. Alain grit his teeth and managed to force Wyvern into a firing stance, planting the rifle onto his shield and taking aim. The short arced from the muzzle and flashed forward, but just when it got closer the beam arced down and smashed into the ground without so much as grazing the DRAGON.

"The hell?!" Alain gasped.

"_The gravitational anomaly is strongest near the DRAGON." _Wyvern said. _"Your beam rifle won't be effective from this angle either. The particles will merely be dragged down like anything else despite their low mass."_

"Then I just have to get above the bastard, right?!" Alain growled as he heard the frame shuddering under the force keeping it down, barely managing to force his machine to stand.

"Damn, I can't move anymore…" Rosalie, straining as she was pressed into her seat.

"H-Help me, Rosalie, Hilda… Alain!" Chris's eyes were darting around in panic as her Hauser was pushed further into the ground more.

"Dammit I paid too much for you to crap out on me now!" Hilda yanked at her controls as best as she could, but like Alain she wasn't getting a hint of success.

'_I told them to wait.' _Salia's mind was racing to find a solution, but there just didn't seem to be one. _'I have to keep the squad from being destroyed. At worst we may have to abandon the Para-mails and flee on foot. But can we even get free of this field?' _A crunching sound made Salia turn, the girl gasping as Vivian's Razor trudged forward.

"Vivi?!" Ersha gasped.

"Vivian it won't work!" Alain shouted. "Dammit Wyvern do something!"

"Let them go!" Vivian growled, ignoring the warnings anyway. Her machine reached out and grabbed her boomerang. "I said let them go!" But as she threw it, the gravity increased again, and the Razor's arm snapped off from the force that suddenly increased on it. Alain growled as the DRAGON roared again. He didn't doubt for a second it thought it had won.

"Like hell…" Alain growled, his hands shaking as his mind flashed a bit. Images he wouldn't forget, ones stained in red. "Like hell I'm losing. Not until I can face that nightmare… like hell I'm letting anything get me or anyone else again! Come on you damn machine, move!"

"_System response verified." _Wyvern said, Alain looking to the console as it flashed. _"ND Field program recognized. System activating." _ Alain looked back and forth as the weight on him suddenly eased. All around his machine, a gleaming band of light was circling until it became a sphere.

"What in the…?"

"_The ND Field is a defensive barrier." _Wyvern said. _"It can shield this machine from both incoming attacks and physical phenomenon."_

"I can still attack right?"

"_You would have to lower the field. We will need to get free of the gravity field in order to attack to avoid being caught again."_

"Then let's book it!" Wyvern's engines glowed brighter as Alain kicked them on, blasting off the ground and streaking past the DRAGON as it roared in surprise. Alain felt any remaining weight on him lift as soon as Wyvern broke past the edge of the field and shot higher. The shining field around the machine lowered as Alain lifted right up, flipping around in the air and aimed his rifle straight down. "Got you!" As his finger pressed on the trigger, Alain stopped when a sudden fit of coughing cracked over the radio. "Huh?" Alain looked over as his radar picked up an IFF, and he raised a brow as he saw the Villkiss on approach. "What?! Princess the hell are you doing out here?!" That temporary distraction also gave the Schooners the time to regroup and attack, forcing Alain to focus on them.

"Doing… my job…" Ange said as her face appeared on the monitor. Villkiss's pilot was trussed up far more heavily than was likely sane. A mask over her face, a scarf, and a rather thick coat too. The work of Momoka without a doubt. "I'm dizzy… let's just get this over with."

"Are you crazy?!" Alain snapped, growling as the Schooners wouldn't get away from him. "Get off my ass you stupid lizards!"

"Ange, don't get any closer" Salia yelled. "You'll get caught in the gravity!"

"It'll be fine." Ange replied. "I'll handle myself like always."

"Dammit, all of you." Salia growled. "I've had enough you stupid bitch!" Ange, mostly because she was woozy, gave a surprised gasp. "This DRAGON isn't weak enough for you to just take on your own! You keep doing everything on your own and I'm sick of it! If you don't want to die then listen to your damn captain!"

"Uh… yes." Ange complied. _'I barely know what's going on.' _The ill girl thought.

"Alain, you cover Ange and keep the Schooners off of her!" Salia ordered. "Ange, while he does that you fly straight up!"

"On it!" Alain grinned a bit as he changed his aim, one of his beam sabers slicing through a Schooner as another went down from a beam shot. Ange complied to Salia's order and angled Villkiss straight up, rising right above the DRAGON.

"Adjust your angle by three degrees right, distance 20." Salia ran her own numbers.

"Which way was right again?" Ange asked as she veered off the other way.

"Opposite direction!" Salia snapped, Ange doing as told. "Hold right there!" Villkiss stopped when it was right over the Bighorn, the massive DRAGON cocking it's head as if it were trying to figure out what it's latest foe was trying to do. "Now! Drop straight down!" With a flare of the engines, Villkiss dropped at high speeds towards the Bighorn. "Convert to destroyer mode!" Villkiss changed forms and it's speed increased as it breached the dome and continued to fall towards the DRAGON.

"I'm falling, right?" Ange wondered, slowly nodding as she saw things rushing towards her. "Yeah, I am."

"That's just your fever." Salia snapped."Now kick it! Kick it like you kicked Alain!"

"Not cool Salia!" Alain shouted as his readied rifle cut through most of the remaining Schooners with it's Wave Pulse mode.

"Shut up and finish the Schooners off!" Salia responded, Alain flinching. He decided complying with that was the better idea. _'Is it bad I think she's kinda hot when she's mad?' _Alain wondered. The Villkiss meanwhile fell earthward like a meteorite, it's right leg thrusting out to kick the Virgin's horn, breaking off both the leg and horn on impact. Ange yelled as she went crashing into the ground while the DRAGON roared in pain, it's bulk and the agony causing it to topple over.

"Hey I can move!" Rosalie cried out in relief.

"About damn time." Hilda said as she flicked her hair.

"Nice one Princess!" Vivian chuckled.

"All units." Salia said as the DRAGON growled at them. "Finish it off!"

"Yes ma'am!" Rising to their feet, the formerly incapacitated Garm Squadron took to the air as they charged the now crippled DRAGON as an actual group.

* * *

As had been expected and gotten the squad so excited, the payout for taking out the new DRAGON on top of the information they'd gathered on it came with _big _payouts. The stacks they all had were so large none could even fit their hands around them.

"So much cash!" Rosalie said. "I have to be dreaming!"

"It's not a dream!" Chris cried. Vivian and Ersha looked satisfied with their own hauls, while Ange by comparison to everybody else, for once, had an utter pittance of money in her hand.

"This is barely anything." Ange muttered.

"All you did was break off a horn." Salia said. "But, we made it thanks to you." Salia then raised a brow when Ange held a hand.

"For my trouble." The blonde said. "I wouldn't have lost so much money if I hadn't broken off Villkiss's leg because of you."

"And like that my gratitude's diminishing." Salia bit. Ange huffed then got next to Salia.

"You don't want everyone to know about your little hobby do you?" Ange said, Salia flinching.

"I hope that cold kills you!" Salia snapped.

"That's not nice!" Momoka objected. Salia looked around at the rest of the squad, and realized her job for the day wasn't done.

"Are you three happy now?" Salia said, catching the attention of Hilda, Rosalie, and Chris.

"Uh, yeah." Rosalie said.

"Then leave Ange alone from now on." Salia said. "Her showing up today is the only reason we made this much money."

"But, Alain would've…" Rosalie objected, gasping when Alain shook his head. "What?!"

"Salia's right." Alain said. "I may have had a shot, but those Schooners would've eaten up my time while the big one kept you girls locked down. Ange showing up was our ace in the hole today. That, and if Wyvern hadn't gotten that field active, I would've been stuck in the same position."

"And you." Salia added as she turned to Ange. "You need to act like a member of this team and stop going off on your own. I know we've been through a lot but we have to make this team work. Alain isn't going to be with our team forever. We need to get our act together so that when he goes back to rotating around, we won't be crippled because he's not here to keep you bunch in line. I'm your Captain, and those are my orders."

"You don't really expect anyone to cop that, do you?" Hilda scoffed.

"I'm cool with it." Ange said, Hilda gasping. "So long as none of you drag me down, I'm fine." Salia grimaced a bit, but it turned into a satisfied smile a moment later.

"I'm fine with it too." Chris said. "If Ange didn't show up, I would've been dead."

"W-Well…" Rosalie was a bit more hesitant. "I guess I don't mind either. As long as I can actually earn money."

"So you're just forgetting what she did?!" Hilda snapped. _'Of course she's still the problem.' _Alain sighed, but he gave an approving nod to the other two when they glanced at him.

"Th-That's not really it." Chris said.

"Traitors." Hilda growled. Now the odd one out, she stormed off as she kept fuming.

"Hilda." Rosalie murmured. She yelped when Alain went and threw his arms across her and Chris's shoulders.

"Just let her go." Alain said. "She might be more willing to talk when she cools off."

"A-Alain you're heavy." Chris muttered, Alain chuckling and just hugging the two tighter. "C-Come on!"

"Nope! I'm proud of you two so this is _my_ reward for you!" Alain laughed, both girls blushing but otherwise looking happy. "And Salia, good calls today. I knew you'd make a good captain."

"W-Well, it wasn't much. I kinda of just snapped." Salia scratched her cheek as her face flushed, Alain snickering between his teeth.

"How wonderful!" Ersha then hugged Ange herself. "With all of that settled, how about we get going?" Ange wondered just what that meant, especially with how the others looked as they snickered at her. _'I'm not sure if this is a good thing.'_

* * *

"One, and, two!" Ange screamed as she was tossed into the onsen. She spluttered as she shot up, befuddled as she stared at the others who'd dragged her there right from the hangar.

"What was that for?!" Ange snapped.

"To wash everything that came before." Ersha said. Ange could already see what was coming next.

"Wait, hold on..." She yelled again as _everyone _proceeded to leap into the onsen. "Why is _he _here too?!"

"Well it just wouldn't be fun if I was left out of it!" Alain laughed, slinking up from the water with some of the soap bottles in hand. "Now, the fun starts."

* * *

_Captain's Log, March 7__th__._

_We defeated the DRAGONs again. Ange is going to continue to pilot Villkiss, and while I'm still not convinced that's fine for now. I'm going to do what I need to as captain. Until the day of Libertus… until the day I think I can truly say I can fly beside him. Log complete._

_Once again, casualties today are zero._

* * *

Alone in her quarters, Hilda sat on the plush couch and stared up at the waxing moon up in the sky. At least it wasn't raining. Ever since that night years ago, she'd come to hate the rain. Unfortunately, the sounds of splashing and laughing carried up from the onsen, not doing much to ease her foul mood. _'Whatever.' _She thought. _'I'm not planning to stay here much longer anyway.' _After years of planning, waiting, and enduring, everything she needed was about to fall into place. _'I'm coming.' _she promised. _'Just wait a little bit longer.'_

* * *

After the excitement of the day, plus the antics in the bath, Alain had elected to just spend the night playing video games. Though perhaps annoying himself by trying to beat those scores Chris bragged about beating by a scant few points wasn't the best way to relax. But that's what he was doing anyway.

"How is _this _the thing Chris is that _little bit _better than me at?" Alain muttered, dropping the controller in defeat as he hit the game over screen again. "Damn I swear she'd be an even better pilot than she is if she'd be more confident in the air."

"_Perhaps some merely aren't that cut out for such things." _Wyvern said, it's terminal propped up on the couch. _"Anyway, if you want to wake up before morning roll I suggest going to bed. I'm not suspecting you'll have any visitors considering today's events."_

"I'm tired anyway." As Alain was getting up to do just that, he stopped when the terminal suddenly pinged. "What now?"

"_I just detected an incoming mana signal." _Wyvern said, Alain raising a brow. The only one who send those signals in or out was the Inspector. At least, that was usually the case. _"A signal being sent to Momoka."_

"To the maid?" Alain sat back down and grabbed the terminal, tapping the screen. "Can you get into the line?"

"_Yes. It is more encrypted than usual, but it's nothing I can't bypass." _Alain watched with bated breath as information flew across the screen. Then the terminal pinged again. _"Accessed. Playing now."_

"Momoka, can you hear me?!" It was a girl's voice, you too. Probably barely into her teens. "Did you find Angelise? Is my older sister there?! Ah! Let me go! Big sister! Angelise, please save me!" The line was cut, Alain letting go of the breath he was holding. _'That was Ange's little sister.' _he realized. '_Why the hell would her sister message Momoka?' _It sounded like she was in trouble. Could be something be going on in Misurugi? The revelation that their beloved Princess was a Norma was bound to cause some upheaval. _'Actually, that reminds me…' _he thought. _'We never did find out just how Momoka knew about Arzenal to begin with.' _Things just weren't adding up, but before Alain could put two and two together, a knock at the door derailed his train of thought.

"Crap. Wyvern make a recording of that message."

"_Roger." _The AI replied as the door was knocked on again.

"I'm coming just hold on!" Alain snapped. As he opened the door, he was quite surprised to see it was Rosalie and Chris who'd knocked. "What are you two doing here?"

"Well… considering today, giving Hilda some space seemed like the best thing to do." Rosalie said.

"So we thought we'd crash in your room." Chris added.

"Not like I'm against the idea, but I know you still have your own dorms." Alain replied. "So why not just sleep there?"

"Yeah we uh… kinda got used to three to a bed these past few weeks." Rosalie admitted.

"Ah."

"Plus, we've never done more than hang out in here." Chris added. "Doesn't feel fair to miss out."

"Uh, well," Alain muttered. "most of the time I'm sure you know _why _others come to my room."

"Everyone knows." Rosalie deadpanned. "It's impossible _not _to know sometimes."

"Fair point. Come on in."

And the events that followed made him forget everything else.


	15. Chapter 14: At The Beaches

_Rondo in the Endless Sky_

**Chapter 14: At the Beaches**

Alain was in the middle of a pleasant dream when a sudden banging on his door woke him up. His eyes peeled open, and his attempt to get up was stalled. _'Am I stuck… why?' _He groaned as the loud knocking rang in his ears again, and when his vision finally cleared he remembered. Still sleeping rather soundly, Rosalie and Chris nestled tightly against his side with one arm each laid over his chest. _'Ah, right, last night happened. Waking up like this isn't so bad.' _A dirty chuckle left his mouth as he remembered the _long _night they'd had. To his surprise, Rosalie had been rather passive while Chris had been quite aggressive. _'I always figured it'd be the opposite considering how they pilot.'_ He thought as a third round of banging echoed from the door.

"Hold on I'm coming!" Alain yelled. It took a second, but he was able to wiggle free, sighing in relief when the two girls didn't stir awake and merely grabbed each other in their snoozing. Stumbling towards the door, Alain threw on a pair of pants to at least look halfway presentable. "Also, why the hell are you knocking so… oh…" His attitude dropped immediately when he opened the door and was greeted by Jill. The dark-haired woman's eyes drifted over to the bed for a moment, and Alain could almost _swear _he caught a smirk. "What's with the morning call?"

"I figured it would be easier to tell you here." Alain raised a brow at the Commander. "Mobius Squadron's long-term attachment to Garm Squadron is officially through it's tenure. After tomorrow you'll be resuming your normal squadron rotations between deployments."

"Finally done with the trial huh?" Alain leaned on the doorframe, Jill nodding.

"I would say Ange has become sufficient enough to no longer need your supervision." Jill said. "Any remaining issues in her behavior will be managed by Salia."

"Was kinda hoping to stick with 'em till Naomi was back in but… wait, _after…_ it's that time of year isn't it?" Alain blinked rapidly while Jill nodded again.

"Time for the Festa. Make sure to use tomorrow to rest well." Jill chuckled as she turned around. "Because I'm going to start working you overtime as we work to get things started."

"Yeah yeah." Alain shut the door and sighed, but also pumped his fist a few times in ready excitement. The Festa was a day everyone on Arzenal looked forward to, the _one day _out of the year there was no training and no sorties. _'Plus like every year I get to see everyone's choice in swimsuits. Hah! If I go out to "scout" soon I'm gonna have so much fun bragging to the guys in Garuda about it again.' _But today was today, so that came first. "Rosalie! Chris! I know last night was long but rise and shine! Training's soon so let's book!"

The response he got were groggy moans, Alain rolling his eyes as he stepped back over to the bed and grinned down at the two as he gently shook them awake. At least he could say the following day would definitely be fun. _'Now why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?'_

* * *

And it was when he was seated in Wyvern's cockpit waiting for morning drills to start, he remembered. _'The message Wyvern intercepted. How could I be so stupid?!' _He almost wanted to hit himself for forgetting. _'But what I have to wonder is what Ange is thinking right now.' _He'd checked on the monitor, and she sure seemed completely lost in thought, not at all noticing his ping.

"Weather conditions are good. Visibility clear." Pamela listing off the usual pre-exercise methods pulled Alain out of his own thoughts. "No anomalies in exercise routine. Advisory notice as well, incoming Rosenblum Transports will arrive during launch, please maintain distance." _'I wonder who Rosenblum sent to meet with the Inspector this year.' _Alain thought. _'Last year it was some big wig from the NMB if I remember right.'_

"Eight nosedives, eight pivots, total of four sets each." Salia meanwhile read off the exercise list for training. "After that we'll practice a new team formation for engaging Frigate-classes. That will be today's training. Trigger will also help serve as a mock enemy during the formation test."

"Ehhh? That's hardly fair!" Rosalie whined. "His machine is way too hard to beat."

"Salia keeps up with me just fine." Alain countered. "Besides that's during mock battles. This is just an exercise so don't complain too much."

"If that's all, any more questions?" Salia asked.

"None!" Vivian answered. Alain glanced around again at the rest. There was a certain tension in the air he just couldn't shake off. Some were clearly ready for tomorrow's events, but when he looked at Ange and Hilda it was entirely different. Ange still didn't seem to be paying attention at all and Hilda seemed to be elsewhere too. _'Ange I can kind of get, but what's going through Hilda's head right now?' _he wondered. Alain leaned back in his seat as he hummed, closing an eye as the normal launch sequences began. _'Salia, then Vivian, then Ange…' _Alain's mental list off stopped when Ange didn't move at all. _'she's really that out of it?'_

"Ange, you're cleared for liftoff." Hikaru spoke over the line. No reply. "Ange, you're cleared for liftoff."

"Want me to give her a nudge?" Alain asked, impatiently shifting his controls.

"Ange what are you doing?" Salia demanded. No reply once again.

"We're stuck here behind you dammit!" Rosalie shouted. "Hey! Are you listening to us?! Seriously, who's being the burden now? Right, Hilda?" As Rosalie looked at her console, she caught the same sight Alain did. Hilda being out of it too just didn't seem right. "Alain you know what's up?"

"Not a clue." Alain muttered. "Oi, Princess, get your head out of the clouds and go!"

"Get her moving!" Emma shouted. "The transports are right there! If you bunch aren't cleared of the runway soon, you'll have hell to pay!"

"The Inspector's in a bad mood huh?" Chris murmured.

"If she won't move then make her!" Emma yelled. "Emergency launch, do it!"

"Mei, go ahead." Salia sighed, Alain giving her a sympathetic shrug over the comms.

"Naomi, with me!" Mei ran to the side console, Naomi right behind her as the girl pulled a key from her jumper. "Princess, emergency launch! All personnel stand back!" Mei inserted the key, a panel opening up on the wall. Naomi grabbed at one of the handles set to it, looking at Mei. The head Armorer nodded to her.

"Emergency launch, engage!" Naomi pulled the handle back and turned it, pressing it back down. Machinery hissed under Villkiss as its launch pad began to move, the sudden lurch finally pulling Ange back to the real world. And by the time she realized what was going on she was already rocketing across the tarmac at full speed, a scream belting from Ange as she hurried to start Villkiss up. The Para-mail took off, and the launch pad splashed into the waters below.

"Seriously…" Alain groaned as he put a hand behind his head. "Princess, don't just zone out and sit there next time."

"Oh zip it!" Ange snapped. The rest of the squad followed suit into the air, and as they headed off. And as they were getting further from Arzenal, they came across a group of four mana-powered transports. There was an odd one out of the bunch, colored a bright white rather than plain grey, the emblem of the Rosenblum Kingdom marking it's side.

"Whoa, it's finally here!" Vivian wowed. "It's Festa time!"

"Festa?" Ange asked.

"You still don't know?" Ersha said. "The Festa is the one time of the year we get a break from everything."

"You'll see tomorrow." Alain added. As the transports passed by, he gave a hum. "Wyvern zoom in on the window. I wanna see if I can't see who this year's rep is."

"_Is that smart?" _The AI asked.

"Just do it."

"_Affirmative." _Alain drew his eyes to the screen as Wyvern's targeting adjusted to it. It zoomed into the window, and Alain gave a hum as the image cleared up. He was able to just see someone peering out at the Para-mails as they passed; A girl who had to be just around their age, pale blue eyes, and long dishwater blonde hair done up in spiraling tresses.

"She looks weirdly familiar…" Alain hummed.

"_That would be Rosenblum's princess, Misty Rosenblum." _Wyvern said. _"She participated in that sport known as Iaria against Ange before her status as a Norma was discovered. You watched the game out of sheer boredom as I recall."_

"Oh yeah. That was like the day before it went down." Alain recalled. "Man, that week blended together thanks to that. But they sent their princess eh? Wonder if she asked to come here. She's cute looking I'll give her that."

"Alain…" A sudden bit of growling from Salia caught his attention. "You do know you're line to me was open, right?"

"I uh… I did not." Alain muttered. _'Shit, she heard everything didn't she?'_

"I hope your ready for some _extra _training now." Salia said, Alain feeling particularly threatened now. "Because I think we _should _add a mock battle to today's regiment."

"Give me a break…"

* * *

The Mermaid Festa, or just Festa for short. It was the single day out of the year the Norma were allowed time off from all duties they were normally assigned. Regulations were relaxed and all kinds of things were set up to let the Norma spend the day just having fun. While it wasn't as if they never found time to relax after training or other duties, it was a day they always looked forward too since it was explicitly just time to do whatever they wanted with no worries. And it also came with a tradition on top of it: Swimsuits.

"Endless ladies in various swimwear as far as the eye can see." Alain mused. "I'd only say a couple other things top this on my list of sights I do so love looking at." Alain himself was of course no exception. In the same way pretty much every article of clothing he wore had to be special ordered, so too was his Festa wear. This time he'd taken to a grey beach hoodie and blue trunks, much to the disappointment of those girls who'd offered to buy him something to wear.

"Hey! Look who it is!" Alain turned, and who else did he see running up to him but Pamela and Hikaru. Pamela was wearing a dark green two piece with a lime green towel wrapped around her hips, while Hikaru wore a bright yellow bikini.

"Hey there you two. I'm guessing the third of your little trio lost the draw huh?"

"Yeap." Hikaru answered. "We drew straws to see who'd be stuck on radar duty today. Olivier drew short." As carefully as the Festa was planned out to match the pattern and avoid happening during a singular, somebody had to man the shop just to be safe.

"She did ask we at least bring some souvenirs." Pamela added. "And pictures. Of you."

"Everyone tries to get those." Alain said, his eyes drawing to a group of girls with cameras in hand. "It's basically yearly tradition to see who can catch me in certain situations during the Festa… as much as it is Jasmine trying to pawn my ass off during the sports festival."

"You're gonna run off again are you?" Pamela asked, Alain huffing. "Hehe, the one time our Ace of Aces doesn't want to run in headfirst. If only you were that cautious during sorties."

"If you were in my place, you'd get it." Alain groaned, the two operators chuckling. "Anyway, I'll see you around then. Have fun. I've got food stalls to raid!" If Alain had to pick his second favorite thing after the swimsuits, it would be the amount of free food. So he made sure to grab all he could eat. Except for the stall Jasmine was running anyway. The second he passed the shopkeep, the old woman shot a scheming look towards him and Alain split like a Galleon was on his tail. _'Not last year and not this year Jasmine!' _he vowed. And as he skirted around another site, he stopped when he caught site of Salia, Ange, and Momoka. "Oi! Was wondering where some of you were at!"

"Alain." Salia turned as Alain trotted up, and she flinched a bit when he immediately took a gander of her blue one piece. "Do you have to stare?"

"What? I think it looks good." Alain said, Salia's face reddening a bit.

"Would it kill you not to flirt in front of me?" Ange grumbled. Alain had a thought as he gave Ange a gander, surprised she'd even agreed to attend. Dressed in a red bikini, Alain had to admit she filled it out nicely. _'I bet Tusk would kill to see her in that.' _He thought. Momoka however was still in her maid uniform as usual. "Hey! Keep it in your pants sicko!"

"Hmm?" Momoka obliviously tilted her head.

"Ah zip it." Alain bit, shoving a stick of meat into his mouth. "I'm just wondering why Momoka's still trussed up. That's got to be stuffy doesn't it?"

"Well even on a day like this a maid needs to keep her duties up." Momoka said. _'It bothers me how proud she is about that at times.' _Alain thought.

"I'm actually questioning why we're in these." Ange said. "The beach is all the way down there for one."

"It's just tradition." Salia said. "The rider suits and uniforms are too stuffy."

"Aren't you embarrassed?" Ange asked, Salia covering up her chest. Ange and Alain both gave her unamused looks. "About being in a swimsuit I mean." Salia's face got redder as she realized her mistake. "Whatever, have fun I guess." Ange left as Salia slumped in embarrassment.

"Why are you even stuck on your chest anyway?" Alain asked. "Your boobs are fine. Besides, you've got a great ass and nice legs. Why not be proud of those instead?"

"You're a guy." Salia puted. "If you had to be the smallest one in a team of stupidly stacked idiots, you'd feel the same! The only one I'm bigger than is Vivian and she's barely younger than me."

"Salia, I have slept with everyone in Garm BUT Vivian, Hilda, and Ange." Alain reminded her. "Plus we've seen each other naked all the time since we were kids. I do not care about… why am I keep this topic up?"

"You started it!" Salia said. "Wait… what about Rosalie and Chris?"

"It was after we fought that Virgin." Salia's eye twitched a bit.

"So who did you sleep with first?"

"It was actually both at once."

"WHAT?!" Salia yelled, Alain shushing her as the crowd looked at them. "Both at the… why?!"

"Uh, because… why not?' Alain mumbled. "Look I was planning to spend the day with you girls anyway. So, since I found you first, how about we go and do something around here eh? Ersha's probably doing the rounds as Perolina right now anyway, so I can just go find her later… I think Naomi mentioned something about running a stall for a bit too."

"She does have that debt of hers to work off." Salia noted. "Alright, fine. Don't think I won't make use of my time today got it?"

"Yes ma'am." Alain said with a slight salute.

* * *

'_Of the things she could have picked… had to be the one I'm least interested in.' _After heading off with Salia, Alain was now struggling to stay awake. One of the more popular activities was a makeshift movie theater setup in the upper yard. Usually because couples used the dark space as an excuse to make out while ignoring the movie. Sometimes good ones were shown. Now was not one of them. Some black and white romantic flick from he didn't care where in a language he couldn't understand one bit. If it wasn't for courtesy, Alain probably would've started dozing off like most of the others in the tent. And yet Salia was watching with teary eyes. _'I would seriously rather be doing anything else right now. Curse me and sticking to my word.'_

Alain's alertness rose a bit when the still entranced Salia grabbed his arm. A part of him lifted at the hope of a shift away from the boredom of the film, but as he and Salia were starting to close the gap, the light in the tent turned on. Anyone elsewho'd been doing anything but watching while still awake snapped to attention just as quickly. _'Goddamn timing.' _Alain cursed his luck, and Salia pouted in similar frustration.

"It was so good." Salia wiped her eyes off as they exited the tent, glancing at Alain as he let out a droning hum. "What did you think?"

"Not much." Alain muttered. Salia's pout was cute enough he felt it was worth it. "Romance flicks just aren't my thing. Besides I could barely understand a thing that was going on! What language was that even in?!"

"I understood it well enough." Salia said. "Stories of love hardly need words to convey the emotions in it… but I guess a knucklehead like you doesn't appreciate those kinds of things."

"That's an insult, right?"

"I'm not sure what I should've expected." Salia sighed. "But that's just how you are I suppose. Whatever. You can make it up to me by buying something from a stall I like."

"Reasonable enough." Alain said as they headed off back into the rows of stalls. "So you planning to enter the sports festival later?"

"Of course I am." Salia replied. "Troublesome as… _some of _the events can be, the prizes Jasmine hands out are usually worth it."

"You do usually struggle at the 'Bosom Egg walk of Doom'." Alain noted, Salia bringing her arms up to her chest again. "I _would _watch you girls compete, but you know how Jasmine is. If I don't split as soon as the events start, she's gonna try and use _me _as a prize."

"I mean I'm not exactly against _that." _Salia murmured, Alain looking up until his eyes strained. "But I get it. Why _does _she do that anyway?"

"To mess with me. Why else would she?"

"Step on up everybody! I've got some limited ones here and they'll go fast if you don't get them now!" Naomi's voice bellowing over the crowd caught the pair's ears. _'Was looking for Naomi anyway.' _Following the enthusiastic calls, the two soon found Naomi at quite the busy stall. Thanks to his height, Alain didn't have much trouble seeing the crowd that had gathered to barter over the Perolina merch strewn across the table. Looking like some mad scientist's attempt to make a teddy bear by stitching together parts of other bears, Alain never understood why the girls of Arzenal found him to be so cute. Alain waved when Naomi noticed him and Salia, the girl gladly waving back. "Hey there you two!"

"So _this _is what you opted to do?" Salia said, scanning over the selection. "These are… something that's for sure."

"Perolina's popular, so you've gotta do what you can." Naomi said, in between a transaction. "Plus it's only during the Festa that some of these ones come on. Jasmine's cutting the profits from this out of my debt."

"We assumed that much." Alain said as Salia started browsing. "This is definitely a choice selection." Choice being rather selective of course.

"You better believe it." Naomi then stuck her thumb back to a particular Perolina plush on the boxes behind her. "That one's not for sale though. It's on hold for someone."

"Mind telling me who?"

"Nope! Sellers confidentiality." Naomi crossed her arms, Alain chuckling. "Anyway, I'll be done just before the Sports Festival, so mind treating me once I'm free?"

"Of course."

"Alain." Salia got his attention with a tap, holding up a Perolina key-chain that conveniently matched her Arquebus's color scheme. "I'm going with this one."

"Fine by me. How much?"

"Hmmm… how about two-thousand?" Naomi's scheming smile made Alain flinch as he was pulling out his wallet. "What? It's a collectible, that alone justifies the price."

"Jasmine's becoming a bad influence on you." Alain grumbled, pulling out two bills. "Don't start taking after her too much. One price gouger is enough."

"No promises. Thanks for the business." Naomi took the bills, and the one who showed up from the crowd next surprised all three: Momoka, entirely on her own. "Well hey there Ms. Maid. All on your own for once?"

"Oh just for a bit." Momoka answered. "Lady Angelise had to excuse herself to the lady's room. That's all." _'Is it just me or is she blatantly lying?' _Alain thought, raising a brow as Momoka started browsing over the merchandise as well, her eyes stopping on a particularly shiny Perolina doll.

"Ahh I see it caught your eyes!" And Naomi immediately went into sales mode. "This special Gold Glitter Perolina's _especially _rare! It's also the last one I've got so if you want it, get it before it's gone!" Alain and Salia had the same flat expression as Momoka looked all too caught up in Naomi's peddling.

"I'll get it! Lady Angelise let's me handle her money, so I have plenty!"

"Then let's see… ten thousand!" _'Does Ange even let Momoka handle that much?' _Alain then balked as Momoka pulled a rather thick wad of bills out of her apron. _'Apparently she does!'_

"Momoka!" An aggravated yell made Momoka flinch as she was handing the cash to Naomi. Alain looked over, seeing Emma storming over to the stall, and he couldn't stop the smirk that appeared. Probably through means he had no idea of, the Inspector was not in her uniform but in a swimsuit of her own, a rather risque black one-piece that had a plunging neckline all the way to her navel, her ample chest threatening to spill out with each step.

"Looking good Inspector." Alain remarked. "Did the folks from Rosenblum bring a guy along you wanna show off too?"

"Be quiet you!" Emma snapped, her face beet red as she turned back to Momoka. "Where did Ange go?!"

"I, um, lost her." Momoka stammered.

"I thought you said she went to the restroom." Salia said.

"W-Well that was a guess!" Momoka hurriedly said. _'She's clearly deflecting.' _Alain sighed. _'Ange is probably hiding somewhere. But then why's Emma looking for her?'_

"Ugh! Lady Misty is waiting!" Emma groaned. _'Well that answers that.' _Alain thought. He flinched a bit when Emma looked to him next. "You're her handler, you _have _to have an idea of where she could have gone right?!"

"Yeah sorry but that job ended yesterday." Alain responded. "Haven't seen her since the Festa started."

"Agh, why is nobody helpful at a time like this?!" Emma growled, then grabbing Alain by his jacket. "You're coming with me! God knows why but Ange at least _listens _to you!"

"Eh?! Hell no! It's my day off, why should I help you?!" Alain tried to wiggle free but Emma had little trouble dragging him off in her anger. "Naomi, Salia, I'll meet up with you guys later!"

"Quit yelling and come on!" Emma snapped, the three girls staring in disbelief.

"The Inspector's even more high strung than usual." Naomi said.

"People are going to take this in the wrong way, I can just tell." Salia rubbed her temples. "Momoka, where is Ange anyway?"

"Sorry, I honestly don't know where she could have gone. Once we got separated, I lost track of her. Also, shouldn't we be worried for Sir Alain?"

"He'll get out of it easily enough." Naomi said, Salia nodding. "So hey, Momoka since you're not doing anything, how about helping me out ehh?"

* * *

"So why _does _Rosenblum's princess want to see Ange?" Free of Emma's grip, Alain had to ask the obvious question as the young inspector stormed towards the medical tent. He was also electing to ignore the stares from some of the Norma, considering how Emma was dressed. _'I do wonder how that happened. I'm gonna guess Maggy.'_

"I wish I knew!" Emma grumbled. "It _seems _Lady Misty knew Ange before she came to Arzenal. _Why _she would want to bother to see a Norma I don't possibly know, but I can't say no. So, I'm going to tell the Commander to call her."

"Then why drag me along?" Alain growled.

"Because I need a negotiator." Emma said. Alain rolled his eyes as Emma stormed up to the curtain. "Commander! I need you to call for Ange right now!" Emma threw the curtain aside, and was greeted not just by Jill, but also by Maggy and Jasmine. All three were in swimsuits of their own, and Alain rolled his eyes even harder as the three immediately showed the smuggest grins.

"Kyaaaaa." And the flattest attempt at a shocked scream he'd heard people ever give. Realizing she was clearly being messed with, Emma shut the curtain and let out a growl.

"To hell with these people!" Emma turned her glare at Alain was he was snickering. As Alain turned to leave, his expression sunk when he got grabbed again.

"Dammit!" Yanked back into the tent before he could escape, Alaine felt a pair of large breasts press into the back of his head.

"Sorry!" Maggy cooed. "You're just so cute I couldn't help myself."

"Down girl." Jill said. "Alain, what did the Inspector want with Ange?"

"You tell me. Apparently, the Rosenblum princess who's repping this year wants to meet her." Alain was not surprised when the three older Norma raised their brows. "They knew each other or something. I frankly don't care."

"I'm sure it's nothing." Jill frowned. "Just the whimsies of a naive girl. If she can't find Ange, then let it be. I would keep an eye out though, just to be safe."

"Yeah yeah."

"By the way…" Jasmine speaking up immediately got Alain to worry. "You mind actually staying around for the sports events this year kid?"

"No." Alain flatly said, glaring at the older woman. "And in case you misheard me, hell no! I know your game old bat! Now if you'll excuse me…"

"Ah ah!" Maggy sang as Alain felt himself whirled around only to find his face wedged in her bosom. "Why not stick around and play with me a bit. I can show you things those younger girls couldn't even imagine."

"I am sure you could." Alain snarked as he pulled himself free. "But I'd rather not end up on a dissection tray."

"You're no fun." Maggy complained, and Alain groaned when he heard Jill and Jasmine snickering. "Well don't be _too _wild now. I hand out enough pills for some of the girls as it is."

"What the hell do you take me for huh?!"

"A shameless manwhore." Jasmine answered.

"Fair point but not fully accurate." Throwing the tarp open, Alain fled from the medical tent as quickly as he could. _'Not going to be back around _there _any time soon.' _He thought. _'Maybe I'll go find Ersha. She should be done with her Perolina rounds about now.' _As he was passing a carousel, a favorite among the kids, a sudden screeching of metal drew his ears. Alain rushed around the corner just in time to see one of the horses fall from it's mount, sending the young girl riding it plummeting to the ground. Alain tensed up, ready to leap forward, when someone beat him too it. On the ground in front of the carousel, a human sized Perolina lay with the girl sagely in its arms.

"Are you okay, pero?" _'Ersha? No…' _Ersha was strong, but she wasn't that fast. The voice was higher too. _'I wonder…'_

"I'm fine, thank you, Perolina!" The little girl ran off to join some of the other kids at the game booths. Alain meanwhile watched as Perolina stood up to leave, and he approached the mascot from its blindside.

"Ange, that's you in there isn't it?" He said, Perolina stopping in place.

"I don't know what you mean, pero. I'm just Perolina, pero." _'Don't laugh. Whatever you do don't laugh.' _Alain could already feel the glare on him from behind the mask as he bit his lip to keep quiet. _'At least she's putting the effort in to act like the character.' _He thought.

"Nice move, saving the kid." Alain said, Perolina nodding. "Also…" he switched to a whisper. "If you wanna avoid the Inspector, go to the tarmac. Nobody goes there during this time so it's totally clear. Momoka's probably helping Naomi if I had to guess, so she'll be fine."

"Thanks for the advice, pero." Perolina sauntered off with a limp wave. _'She may be a bitch most of the time, but she's definitely a good person at heart.' _Suddenly, Alain's vision went dark as someone's hands covered his eyes and something large and soft pressed into his back.

"Guess who!" He should've known better than to get lost in thought like that. "You let your guard down silly. So, who is it?"

"Well let's see…" Alain hummed. "The big sister tone, and the rather soft things pressing into my back right now… nice to see you Ersha." Alain plucked off Ersha's hands, letting her arms drape across his shoulders as she giggled. "You know this trick never works on me. We spend enough time with audio-only in flight I know all your voices."

"Well you also said another thing." Ersha pressed in further to make the point. "Anyway… what do you think?" Alain glanced back as Ersha pulled away, showing off the perhaps surprisingly daring navy bikini she wore.

"Well it covers more than your lingerie." Alain snarked, Ersha giving a harumph "Messing with you. You look good. Plus, I do like the more mature looks you go for every year."

"My my, thank you very much." Ersha then took Alain by the arm, quite conveniently pillowing it into her chest. "I like what you have too, though I heard some girls muttering in disappointment you chose for yourself."

"You should've seen some of the choices." Alain grumbled. "Some people have no taste."

"Well I know why some would maybe like that." Ersha said, then pulling Alain off another way. "Now come on! Now that I've got free time, I want to play around a bit!"

"Fine by me." _'I don't mind getting dragged around if it's like this.' _Alain thought.

* * *

In hindsight, trying to avoid Emma by taking Ersha's Perolina costume was not Ange's best idea. It was hot, she could barely see, and she was close to gagging from the smell. At least it made it easy to walk around with being spotted, because there was no way she was going to let that woman drag her off to meet Misty. She also didn't think she'd really be taking Alain's advice, but camping out on the tarmac was probably better than nothing.

Unfortunately, it turned out others had the same idea_. _As she rounded the corner, what else did she see but a pair of Norma making out on a cot they'd set up. _'These people…' _she grumbled._ 'Can't they be bothered to keep their pants on for more than five minutes?'_

"Come on, here?" One of the girls whined.

"It's fine. Everyone else is at the Festa." The other said as she resumed kissing her girlfriend's neck while her hand slipped up the other's top.

"Whew, I sure took a licking, pero. I should just stay here then." Beneath the headpiece, Ange allowed a smirk as the girls fell off the cot while shrieking. She didn't have the patience to let these two do their thing, much less with a cot to use. That and she found their shocked screams to be rather amusing.

"Hey!" One of the Norma shouted.

"Run along now." Ange said as she sat on the cot. When the Norma didn't take the hint, she turned to look at them and spoke in her normal voice. "On the double!"

"Now wait a minute!"

"Don't," the other said as she pulled her away. "Perolina's not herself right now." Once the Norma were gone, Ange plucked the mask off and let out a breath. _'Finally, some fresh air!' _she thought as she laid down. She could just hear the sounds of the goings on topside, but it was barely enough to disturb how surprisingly quiet it was. Normally the hangar was all kinds of loud with the Armorers at work and the Para-mails coming and going. It did leave her time to think though. Particularly, about that girl who fell off the carousel. _'Sylvia…' _she thought.

Though it had only been a few years ago, with everything that had happened it felt like it had been a lifetime. She and her sister had been riding on a horse, something usual for royalty. But, in a moment of distraction, Sylvia had slipped from Ange's hold and fallen from their horse, leaving her sister unable to walk. Ange had blamed herself for the entire thing, yet she remembered clearly that Sylvia hadn't blamed her at all, only asking if one day she could be taken out to ride again. _'That girl looked a bit like her.' _The message Momoka had gotten still weighed on her. Ange had told herself there was nothing she could do, that none of the vehicles on Arzenal could possibly take her to Sylvia. But then again…

Ange stood up and her eyes looked to the mana transports, stopping at the one with Rosenblum's emblem on it, it's white hull glinting in the sunlight. The same one that had transported Misty Rosenblum to Arzenal. _'Well,' _Ange decided. _'it's not like I was planning to stay here.'_


	16. Chapter 15: Sparks in the Sky

**Chapter 15: Sparks in the Sky**

As much emphasis was placed on the big sports competition that took place later in the Festa, it wasn't as if the activities beforehand didn't include recreational sports. Chief among them was volleyball, the court being set up on the sand pit usually used during physical training. Games were usually played in pairs and Alain and Ersha were having at it with a couple of girls from third squadron.

"Ersha, to you!" Alain skid across the sand and bounced the ball off his arm, sending it skyward.

"Spike it!" Ersha stepped back and tapped the ball right up, Alain dashing up and leaping as high as he could. The opposing pair rushed to the net to try and block, Alain's hand quickly slamming the volleyball at the peak of his jump, sending it streaking past the pair and smashing into the sand.

"Point! Alain and Ersha!" The referee called, Alain high fiving Ersha while some of the Norma watching began to cheer. "Match point for their side!"

"Man, you two make a lethal team." One of the other Norma said as her partner picked up the ball. "It's almost not fair with how tall you both are."

"Well I'm not nearly as fast or able to jump as high as Alain can." Ersha admitted as they took their places. "But being artillery does mean I have a good eye!"

"I'd be more worried about how hard you'd hit it." Alain snarked, Ersha tilting her head at him.

"Don't look away now!" The server called, tossing the ball up and slapping it over, aiming it right to Alain.

"Come on that's too easy." Alain already saw where this was going as he bounced the ball towards Ersha with a hard shove of the arm. Their opponents were hoping to use Ersha's lack of jumping ability against her, as they'd done a couple of times now. _'But a routine is easy to catch!' _he thought as he rushed towards the net. Ersha leaped as high as she could, and the other two were already jumping to try and catch her spike. What the two probably weren't counting on-as Alain had warned-was just how hard Ersha's hand came down on the ball.

Rather than bouncing off from their block, the ball was knocked so hard it pushed right through the defense. In the same instant, Ersha was falling back down just as Alain happened to take position behind her. And as the referee called the match, a resounding yelp from both Alain and Ersha was mixed with half cheers for the win and half gasps from the crowd as the dust settled.

"Alain?" Ersha tried to get up, only to feel a sudden snag on her back. Looking down, she realized it was because, _somehow, _amid the fall Alain's head had suddenly gotten caught in her top, right between her primary plots of land. "Are you okay?!"

"Just peachy." Alain grumbled. "Not that this isn't something I'm _not _used to."

"Will you be serious!" Ersha whined, pulling Alain's head free as she started fussing over him. "Someone just fell on you. At least be concerned for yourself a bit. I wouldn't want to know I hurt you."

"I appreciate it, but seriously Ersha I'm fine." Alain said, grabbing Ersha's wrists to stop her hands. "Plus now people are staring for other reasons. I can feel the attempts to bore holes into my skull."

"Well y'know some are still steamed Garm got to hog you for two months." The lead of the other team said. "Even if it was under orders."

"Can't help what the Commander does." Alain shrugged, as he stood up to shake her hand. "Good game though. I guess I'll be seeing you girls in the skies at some point."

"Oh we're all eager." The other Norma said as they left. "Enjoy the Festa!"

"You too!" Ersha waved. Taking Alain by the hand, Ersha pulled him away as the crowd moved aside for the next set of teams to move in. "Hogging you, not like we could help it."

"What are you a bit steamed?" Alain teased, matching Ersha's pace as they threaded their fingers. "You know I rotate squads solely because I'm on my own." Alain rolled his eyes as Ersha only hummed in response. "Are you mad or…?"

"No I'm not mad." Alain wasn't quite convinced due to the snippy tone. "I just… almost expected you would have reacted more."

"Eh?" Alain gasped. Then he started laughing, Ersha looking at him with a red face. "Really? Come on Ersha, that's gotta be the oddest thing to be concerned over!"

"I just feel like you're too casual at times is all." Ersha said, Alain still chuckling. "Honestly, maybe you're _too _used to being around girls at times."

"Don't go getting convinced the stuff in those silly manga we read applies to me." Alain teased. "And why would I react with surprise to getting a face full? I know this chest of yours well enough my appreciation for it beats out a surprise motorboating… not that I think that counted."

"Hehehe, you really need to be careful what you say out loud." Ersha laughed, pecking Alain on the cheek as he snickered. "But I do like that you're so forward. I still remember when I felt awkward about being as tall as I am."

"You were awkward about it, as I recall, up until after our first time." Alain said, Ersha nodding as they stopped at the view area and looked out past the cliffs. "Still, now that we're at the Festa I also can't help but think of how much happened in the past couple of months."

"It has been a lot hasn't it?" Ersha replied. "First Ange arrived, then we lost Zola, Coco, and Miranda. Then out of nowhere the rest of us learn Naomi had only been in a coma the entire time. Honestly, with everything that's been happening I almost feel like something may just be starting. But maybe that's just me being too hopeful, isn't it?"

"Well who knows? I guess all we can hope for is for that something to be good." Alain replied, looking off as his expression changed. _'And it's times like this I wish so badly I could just tell everybody_. _Keeping them in the dark about this… man I hate it.'_

"Heyyy, why are you suddenly looking down?" Ersha grabbed Alain by the face and tugged his cheeks. "It's the Festa! Don't you go looking dour about something now, understood?"

"Heh, sorry. Got lost in thought a bit." Alain chuckled. "Damn if there wasn't a crowd this'd be a good moment to kiss you."

"You're sweet." Ersha mused. "So now, we did a thing I wanted to, your turn to pick something."

"Being honest, I'm just trying to waste time until the sports events start so I can run off." Alain admitted. "You know how Jasmine is each year."

"I mean it is motivational." Ersha said, Alain rolling his eyes. "But come on, pick something! Just because you're spending time with us doesn't mean you don't have to do things you'd want to do."

"Hmm… alright, I got two ideas: Betting on the next round of pig races, or try to get some prizes from the shooting range."

"Both of those are some kind of gamble." Ersha said, Alain snickering. "But are also the kind of risky things you like to do. Alright then, which one?"

"I'll decide with this." Alain reached into his pocket and produced the coin Jasmine had given him back when Ange first got to Arzenal. "Tails for the pigs, Heads for the guns."

"Arzenal doesn't use coins, where did you get that?"

"A keepsake from my dad that Jasmine gave me." Alain explained, Ersha giving a hum. Alain flicked the coin up with his thumb, watching it spin, then clapping down on it once it hit the back of his hand. Moving his palm, it landed on heads. "Shooting range it is! Hehe, that's easier than actually betting on something."

"Now if only you can resist the urge to shoot every target." Ersha teased, poking Alain in the cheek. "You always say you'll go for something specific and then get caught up shooting and hit all the targets."

"Salia still holds the record." Alain stated. "I can't help when my competitive side comes out. Besides we don't even know what this year's prizes are gonna be. Last year it was… what was it?"

"Specialty Perolina goods the stall wasn't selling." Ersa said. "What'll you do if it's the same hmm? I know you're not the biggest fan of Perolina."

"Give whatever it'd be to Vivian, probably. You know how much she loves that weird bear." He then had another thought. "Or maybe to some of the kids. Who's got a birthday coming up?"

"Hmm, a couple of them I think." Ersha said. "If we're talking soon, then it'd be Lena. I can't believe she's already almost twelve. She always talks about how she wants to be like Salia when she's bigger you know?"

"Well then we'll see if the range prizes have anything good she might like." Ersha nodded and the two headed off to the shooting range, which during the Festa was repurposed as another one of the games. While it was perhaps a bit ironic since technically one could construe the fact the firing range game used actual firearms, albeit loaded with chalk rounds, as some kind of training, the fact there were actual prizes involved for hitting certain scores passed the idea right over people's heads. What came as a surprise as the two arrived at the range was who was running it.

"Step on up folks!" Naomi barked. "We've got more limited ones than even the stall earlier today had! Get these prizes while they last!" As she saw them approach, Naomi smirked at Alain, who was giving her a bemused look. "Well well, Alain! What a coincidence! We wind up meeting again before I'm free from work!"

"Weren't you running the _other _stall?" Alain said. "What are you doing here at the range?"

"Ah well we sort of ran out of stock thanks to Momoka's help, and the girl running this stand before me just ended her shift, so I figured I'd make a little extra. I was wondering when you'd show up anyway, you do the range every year."

"Alain flipped a coin on this one." Ersha said. "It was this or he'd try his luck on the pig races."

"Ah the one thing Alain has bad luck with." Naomi teased, Alain coughing. "You always bet low since you know your luck is bad with that kind of thing. I think the only person who's unluckier than you with gambling is Rosalie!"

"So can I get onto the range to do some prize winning or not?" The obvious attempt to change the subject made both girls snicker. "From what I heard, I'm guessing the prizes are more specialty Pero-lina goods."

"Mostly." Naomi said, Alain raising a brow. "We've also got some special limited items. Y'know how the mall sells models of stock standard Para-mails alongside all those kits from those tv shows and manga?"

"Are you saying there's special versions of those in?" Ersha said, Naomi nodding.

"Indeed! And these ones are extra special, because…" Naomi then reached to the side and pulled a cart out. "These ones have special colorings based on the Top Ten's personal units!"

"Well isn't that just perfect?" Ersha said. "We were just talking about seeing if a prize here would make a good gift for Lena. She does like these models."

"And if we get her Salia's Arquebus, she'd be over the moon." Alain mused. "Alright then! So, what's my target for getting that one?"

"Well, don't wanna make it impossible…" Naomi hummed. "Got it! Simple put, come within twenty points of Salia's perfect record, and the Arquebus Salia Custom is yours!"

"You're getting quite good at this." Ersha laughed, Naomi making a peace sign.

"Jasmine's a good teacher." Naomi reached behind the counter and pulled out and assault rifle, handing it to Alain along with a magazine. "You definitely know the rules but…"

"Bullseyes are worth two points, any other spot on the target is worth one, and a miss is nothing." Alain rattled off, Naomi nodding as he moved onto the range and loaded the rifle as he crouched. "Just give me the signal."

"Alright. You've got thirty targets, and your prize target is forty points or more!" Naomi reached for a buzzer. "Ready… go!"

The signal blared and Alain let out a breath the moment the first target flipped up and hit the first shot dead center. _'The first ten are always easy.' _He thought as he kept firing. The game had three stages: The first being single targets, the second two, and the third a random count of the last ten but shortening how long they stayed up. Salia being the best shot on Arzenal was lent credence by her perfect score at this. But when he was aiming to be precise, Alain was a crack shot in his own right. It was after bulls-eyeing the first ten he felt like he was noticing something in his shooting though.

Years of fighting had certainly honed his ability to register multiple targets without trouble, but while his first two shots of the next round weren't bullseyes, the near instant swap to the next felt faster than usual for him. Alain shrugged the feeling off and kept shooting, hitting four more bullseyes along the way. _'And that'd be 28… need 12 more.' _Alain thought, adjusting himself to focus target popped up first, making it easy enough to bullseye. _'30.' _Three popped up at once, and to Alain's own surprise, he hit all three dead center. _'36. Don't get cocky.' _Instead he made sure to keep focused, keeping in mind all the times he'd been scolded by Salia during firing practice for getting ahead of himself. Two targets, and again two bullseyes. He braced the butt of the rifle a bit tighter in anticipation. Four targets popped up, and four cracks of the rifle followed. As Naomi rang the buzzer, the rest of the targets flipping up to show their marks, he'd already caught it as Naomi was tallying the score: Of the last four shots, two were bullseyes.

"Let's see… after that it'd be… 46!" Naomi called. "And it was fast too. Was that thanks to extra practice?"

"Maybe?" Alain felt puzzled himself. But, all that really mattered was the fact he'd cleared the goal. "That or I just got lucky with my aim this time. Anyway, that's a full clear right?"

"That it is, so no complaints from me." Naomi stuck the model into a bag, handing it to Ersha. "I'll be sure to tell Salia you were only 14 off the mark, she'll be impressed for sure."

"The day I match her score will be something." Alain wasn't able to hide the cocky smirk on his face. "Anyway, see you after you're done here."

"It's a date." Naomi waved the two off, and Ersha made another turn as they got near the main area.

"I'm going to drop this off in my room for later. Try not to get mixed up in anything before the sports festival starts!"

"Will do." Alain rolled his eyes a bit as Ersha left. As much as he adored her, sometimes her doting nature made him feel a bit down. _'I'm not that much of a troublemaker… as far as I'm concerned.' _Then again she did rib him about his streaks for a reason. "But who should I find next hmm? Vivian's probably stuffing her face at the food stalls… where're Rosalie and Chris at?"

"Alain!" He didn't even have to look before someone suddenly barreled into him. Alain was glad he had a steady stance, or else he'd no doubt have toppled over as Rosalie sudden glommed onto him out of nowhere.

"First off, ow!" Alain yelped, grabbing Rosalie as she held tight. "Second, what's with tackling me out of nowhere?"

"I'm depressed right now and I need some comfort." Rosalie whined, Alain averting his eyes as her ample chest pressed up on his torso.

"And why would that be?"

"She made bets on the pig races and lost a ton of money." Chris leaned out from behind Alain, also seemingly out of nowhere. Sometimes she was too quiet for her own good. "She's been moping about it since we left."

"I was robbed!" Rosalie fumed, clenching a fist. "Pork Bone Impact was the good pick! I would've been rolling if he hadn't been sniped like that in the last stretch! Ahh it's so vexing!"

"Rosalie you suck at gambling." Alain deadpanned. "It's every year with you. You bet on those races, go too high, then lose a bunch because your instincts went wrong."

"I thought I had it this year! I'd been doing better on earnings than usual and had cash to spare… so I figured I'd try and bump that number up a bit while I had a chance."

"And this is why you're ranged-support with me and Ersha." Chris sighed. "At least you don't bring that kind of attitude into battle."

"I'll make up for it during the sports festival." Rosalie said. "But anyway, come on Alain! A cute girl is asking you to comfort her after a tragic loss, so do it!"

"I'm not sure how cool I am with being picked out as a convenient ego fix." Alain grumbled. "But fine. Whaddya want?"

"Carry me."

"Excuse me?"

"Carry me like you did the maid." Rosalie insisted.

"I only did _that _because Momoka passed out from hunger."

"Yeah and it wasn't fair! Why does some random maid get to be princess carried when the rest of us have known you for years?!"

"Because she passed out." He repeated, not that it seemed to matter to Rosalie. "Fine."

"Yay!" Rosalie threw an arm across Alain's shoulders as he lifted her up, clearly relishing it a bit as some of the passing Norma started shooting nasty looks her way. "Hehe, add that to things I can brag about now."

"Yeah yeah." Alain sighed. _'Why is she aggressive at times like this?' _he thought. As they started walking, he felt Chris tug at his hoodie. "Something up?"

"I was wondering if you knew where Hilda was." Chris said. "We haven't seen her all day… I kind of feel like she's avoiding us."

"Uh… no, I actually haven't seen her around at all." Alain replied. "I was kind of curious about that too. It's weird _not _to see her going around being competitive at this time. She also never misses the sports festival. Maybe she's just taking it easy until then?"

"That might be it." Rosalie said. "Like I said when you asked earlier Chris, she's probably on her period or something. If not, well if she wants to be alone, then just let her. She'll be back to normal by tomorrow."

"Shouldn't you have learned your lesson about betting with the pig?" Alain snarked, Rosalie pouting at him.

"I just feel bad about it you know?" Chris murmured.

"Again, like I said before, when have we ever been able to find out what Hilda's thinking?" Rosalie chimed. "We've known her since we were kids and she's still hard to figure out. Heck I still wonder why she's still hung up on Ange. I mean sure Ange is… _Ange _but we gotta move on, right?"

"You weren't really thinking that way a few days ago." Alain reminded her.

"Well, I mean… w-we were mostly just following Hilda's lead!" Rosalie stammered. "And I mean she's not as bad as she used to be anymore, so… y'know."

"I'm just messing with you, chill."

"As usual… also where are you grabbing?" Rosalie shifted a bit, Alain moving his hand from having shifted it to her rear.

"Well if you're gonna make me carry you like this for a while, I think it's only fair I get to cop a feel." Alain snickered, Rosalie puffing a cheek.

"If you're going to do something like that at least take me somewhere private."

"Rosalie that might be a bad idea." Chris chimed in, grabbing Alain's jacket again. "Especially since you're talking about entering the sports festival in a couple hours."

"Ah come on we'd be quick about it, right?" Alain had to admit it was a tempting offer, especially as Rosalie shifted to lean up closer to his ear as she spoke. _'Again, why is she aggressive in _this _situation?' _he wondered.

"Tempted as I am…" but common sense was dictating otherwise at the time. "I'm with Chris on this. Would be a bad idea if we did go off and do something quick."

"Well if you agree about it being quick why say no then?!" Rosalie objected, then raising a brow when she was given a dry look from the other two. "What?"

"Considering what I now know about how you are… it _wouldn't _remain quick." Alain remarked, Rosalie's face flushing. "Also I'm explicitly not doing any of that for now 'cause I'm not aiming to tire anyone out before the sports festival."

"I'd be fine!"

"No you wouldn't." Chris teased. "You were the first one to pass out when we did it the other night, remember?"

"I woke back up didn't I?"

"… why do these kinds of talks keep happening in the open?" Alain muttered. As the girls laughed, his eyes also drifted to Chris. _'Now my thought is the same here… Chris has basically been hiding behind me the entire time but the other night… is sex fiend the right phrase for me to use?' _Sometimes it just felt like he didn't really understand how people worked. Or maybe he was just too straightforward. "Anyway, how about some food? I'm hungry again and I'm sure you two wanna get _something _before the sports festival."

"I've been keeping it kinda light." Rosalie said. "If the first event is the "eating buns in dissolving swimsuits" thing again like last year, I don't wanna be _too _full."

"Knowing your routines, haven't you already gone to most of the food stalls already?" Chris asked, Alain looking to the side as they started down the path to the beach, Rosalie finally having had her fill as she hopped out of Alain's arms to walk. "You have, haven't you?"

"Yeah but that was like… three hours ago. So, I'm hungry again." And now it was the girls' turn to look confused as Alain lead them into the food stalls. Did all men have appetites like his? They weren't even sure what he did to burn everything off.

"Some food before the action does sound good actually." Rosalie admitted.

"Exactly! There was a ramen stall I wanted to look at anyway."

"Of course, he picks something on the heavy side." Chris sighed. While Alain went about getting his order immediately, the two girls decided to just sit by. "Hey, Alain," Chris mentioned. "I know you don't stick around to watch the sports events… but if you run into Hilda could you at least see if you could get her to watch?"

"No harm in trying." Alain shrugged. "You're being pretty insistent on this."

"It's almost surprising." Rosalie added, flinching when she saw the size Alain's order. "Is everything okay?" though he started eating like it was nothing much at all.

"I'm just a bit worried." Chris sighed. "I know Hilda's hard to read but even I can tell _something _is bothering her. You two saw it too right? She just doesn't seem to be herself right now."

"You mean how out of it she seemed during drills?" Rosalie asked. "Okay, I admit that did seem kind of weird, right?" Alain didn't answer. "Hello? Earth to Alain!"

"Hm? Oh, sorry." Rosalie and Chris frowned as they crossed their arms. "What?"

"You know something don't you?" Rosalie accused. He did, but Alain didn't know if Hilda had any connection to it.

"I was just thinking." Alain mused. "Hilda got here later than most right? Maybe she saw something that made her remember something about her life before Arzenal." _'Like that Mana message Wyvern intercepted.' _He thought. Could Hilda have somehow overhead it as well?

"Why would anyone care about the people outside of Arzenal?" Chris grumbled. "They threw us in here, remember? It's because of them that my… s-sorry, I went off." Alain felt a bit of a twinge as Chris tugged at her bangs. Most Norma were taken to Arzenal as babies, so almost all of them never knew about any family. But, Chris, like Alain, was a rare exception. It was a _very _well-kept secret that a number of the Norma in Arzenal weren't actually taken _to _the penal colony but had actually been born there.

Alain still remembered it, more than some others probably did. Back when CROSS was still truly allied with Arzenal. And because of the disaster that had happened over ten years ago, the girls that remained in Arzenal had all summarily lost their parents. Alain and Tusk were in the same position, though while Alain had chosen to stay, and Tusk had sequestered himself to the island, any boys that had been born at the time had also left.

"H-Hey it's alright." Rosalie caught Chris's change in mood. "That was years ago and well… um, let's just focus on the sports events yeah? We can do a lot with a one-million cash prize. If I win I could finally get some of those upgrades I've been wanting for my Glaive!"

"It would be nice." Chris said. She flinched a bit when Alain put a hand to her head, lightly ruffling her hair. "Alain…?"

"It's good you're worried about Hilda." He said. "I'm sure she's just sore about Ange. Once the Festa's done if you don't see her, why not just talk with her and patch things up a bit? You three have been pretty much inseparable since we were kids so you can definitely get through to her."

"Yeah!" Rosalie agreed. "We always stick together. Been that way for years! And hey, Alain, even if you're not watching from the crowd, cheer us on!"

"I dunno, I've got like three others I could cheer for." Alain teased, setting the bowl down as he finally finished. "But we'll see. First thing is making sure I don't get caught before then."

"Not like you ever get caught." Naomi popped out from the side of the stall, Rosalie and Chris flinching. "Hey there!"

"When did you get so sneaky?!" Rosalie yelped.

"I mean it is loud around here." Naomi pointed out. "Also don't mind me much. Alain promised me a date once I was off work, so I'm here to cash in."

"We were about the split off anyway." Chris said. "See you after the sports events."

"And be sure to watch from somewhere!" Alain waved the two off as they got up, spinning the chair around to Naomi as she moved in.

"So, what shall we do hmm?" Naomi said, leaning forward with her arms behind her back as Alain stood up. "Not like I can participate in the sports events myself."

"Well at least I won't be on my own when I split." Alain remarked, Naomi putting an arm around his as they walked off. "Not sure what I'll do anyway… maybe check on Wyvern and take a nap."

"Y'know I'm always curious, what does the big guy _do _during the Festa? You carry around that terminal so often it's almost odd not having his input."

"Pretty sure he's running a system's check. I think that particle barrier I used when we fought that Virgin was part of that ARISE System. So, he's probably seeing if anything new opened up."

"It's just one mystery after another with him isn't it? He's been here as long as we can remember and there's still a lot we don't know. I'm on Mei's side in that there's no way those particle engines are only there to give double the normal output. _Something _about them is different."

"Well maybe if we get deeper into whatever files are supposedly locked in that quantum computer we'll find out." The two stopped and took a seat at the edge of the sand, Alain sighing as he dipped his legs into the water. A thought then occurred as Naomi sat next to him and leaned on his shoulder. "So… hey, you'll be fine once you're back in the air, right?"

"Hm?"

"Well… I'm just a bit worried. I don't wanna make it sound weird but… well, I just can't imagine it's a good memory, recalling something that almost killed you."

"Oh come on, you know I'm…" Naomi's attempt to look tough about it faltered. She froze a bit, and Alain didn't resist when she held his arm tighter. "Alright… yeah I'm kind of scared. I _want _to fly again but… I think about it and I keep remembering what happened before. The big DRAGONs are… way different once they're up in your face."

"I imagined as much." Alain's hand tensed up in the sand for a moment. "It's not like I'm going to tell you not to. But… don't push it. I'm sure none of the others would blame you either. It's not every day a Norma comes back from the dead to fight again."

"Let's just wait for when we get there." Naomi said, standing up. "Besides, it's the Festa! No point spending time being all down about things. It might be a bit hard but… no way I'm staying on the ground while everyone else is up there."

"And I'm glad to hear it. Now…" Alain brushed himself off as he stood. "What does Solo-Wing Pixy feel like doing during the Festa hmm?"

"Haha, haven't heard that name in ages." Naomi grabbed Alain by the hand. "I _did _want to do a little something. Though we'll have to go somewhere other than the main area. Sound good?"

"Well your tone is implying something." Alain hummed. "Fine by me."

"Then let's go." What Alain didn't see as Naomi pulled him off was the glint her eyes had. They left the beach and entered Arzenal itself, though something in Alain started feeling off once they got to an intersection. "Alrighty. We're here."

"Why here?" Alain said, his eyes going wide when Naomi turned and put her hands together.

"Sorry! But, well… I kind of struck a deal and…!" As it suddenly dawned on him, two doors on both sides of the hall burst open and he was grabbed on both sides and a pair of handcuffs was slapped onto him.

"The hell?!" Alain shouted. To his left, Mei shared Naomi's apologetic look, while to his right, Maggy was licking her lips.

"Well… I kinda made a deal with Jasmine. She'd cut a part of my debt off if I made sure you didn't run off."

"You sold me out?!"

"Don't think of it as being sold out." Maggy cooed. "Think of it as being… _volunteered _to make things more interesting for the girls."

"My ass!" Alain snapped. "Mei why are you helping with this?!"

"Sorry Alain." Mei replied. "Jasmine said she'd give me a discount on some tools I've been saving up for."

"Come ooon!" Alain whined, struggling with the handcuffs.

"Nothing personal." Naomi said as they dragged him off. "I'll let you get back at me later. For now just play a bit nice okay?"

"TRAITOR!"

* * *

"And now, the time you've all been waiting for is kicking off! The fight for one million cash!" Jasmine yelled through a megaphone to the Norma gathered in front of her. She always did like this time of year, and especially the sports festival competition that came with it. Of the Norma, some in the crowd had changed into identical blue swimsuits, and for the purposes of the very first game of the event as well. "It's the grand opening of the annual Sports Festival, so you all know what that means! A gauntlet of competitions to decide who wins a total grand prize of one million!"

"Yeah!" Rosalie cheered along with the others. "Time to make up for that pig!"

"Oh, and before we start." Jasmine's smugness as she spoke surprised the competitors. "This year there's also a special prize along _with _the cash! Bring him out!" Jasmine stood aside as Naomi and Maggy dragged out a now chair bound and gagged Alain. "The heartthrob of Arzenal so many adore, Alain the Ace of Aces! Whoever wins today gets a chance to do whatever they want with him once the Festa ends!" _'Goddamn this woman!' _Alain tried to scream his thoughts past the gag as the Norma burst out into loud cheering. "Good to see you girls motivated! No line on up, because… shock, horror! The bun-eating in melting swimsuits contest! Group one, you're up! Ready…" with the resounding shot of a blank gun, the first group of girls charged off into the water like a psyched-up pack of wolves. By now, Alain had struggled enough that the gag over his mouth had fallen off.

"What the hell Jasmine?!" Alain snapped, the older Norma glancing at him. "Roping Naomi into your damned scheme… every frickin' year with you!"

"Well I had to get you this year _somehow. _And this time I knew just who to get help from." Jasmine looked to Naomi, who coughed into her hand. "You're way to relaxed around some of these girls, _especially _Naomi. It made it all too easy. Also, since he's here, the deal's kept. Consider that portion of your debt taken care of."

"Again, sorry!" Naomi said, Alain sighing.

"I'm not sorry at all." Maggy said, leaning over Alain's back, making sure to shove his head into her chest. "How about letting me play around with you a bit while the girls compete hmm?"

"Pass." Alain growled, shifting his wrists behind the chair, blinking when he heard a soft _click_. _'Wait a second… aha! These cuffs are old! The damn things didn't lock properly!' _

"Pff, you're no fun. Whatever, so long as you're stuck like this, it's not like you can resist."

"And _that _would be sexual assault!" Alain snarked. _'Just play along a bit, I'll be out of these things soon enough.' _"You really want that one on you Maggy?"

"I mean I don't think I'd mind _that _much." Alain rolled his eyes to the side, catching Naomi looking away. _'Guess she noticed… whatever.' _"Though I do enjoy how these little girls glare. It's such a wonder though is it Jasmine? Offer our boy up and they go practically rabid!"

"I'm more interested in what Garm does." Jasmine mused. "They tend to be _quite _protective!"

"Very!" Alain affirmed. With a shove of his shoulders that pushed Maggy off of him, he shot off the chair and revealed his free wrists, Jasmine snapping around. "Old cuffs! Looks like your luck is out old lady! Seeya in a few hours!" Quick to seize his chance, Alain jumped from the stage and dashed off into the passage.

"Oh well too bad." Naomi shrugged, Jasmine clicking her tongue. "Soo…"

"This doesn't annul anything." Jasmine said, Naomi sighing. "Damned brat… whatever, I'll get at him once this is done!"

* * *

Now that he was free, Alain was running over what to do. It wasn't like there was really any good place he could camp out to watch the sports events from afar when he thought about it. _'Well there is the tarmac, but that won't help much. I could just go to the hangar and check in on Wyvern like I thought first. Or just go to my room and crash for a bit.' _He took a round at the first bend, not really thinking of much since he figured the halls would be abandoned. What he didn't expect was to run into someone.

"Hey! Watch it!" As she stumbled back, Hilda glared once she saw it was an equally surprised Alain. "Oh, you."

"Where the heck have you been all day?" Alain asked, Hilda huffing.

"By myself, what of it? I have the right to be alone if I want to."

"Not denying that. But Chris has been kind of worried."

"So what? It's just the dumb Festa. It's boring anyway." Hilda leaned on a hip, Alain folding his arms. _'I'd have half a mind to mention her swimsuit, but she's clearly in a mood.' _Though he had to admit the lacy frill along it's black edges was far from unpleasant to look at. "Whatever. I don't really care. So long."

"Hold it." Alain stopped Hilda by grabbing her wrist, the red head glaring back. "Look, cut it out maybe a little bit? You've been moodier than usual. Even I'm starting to wonder what's up when you get like that."

"And why would you care?" Hilda pulled her arm free. "Just buzz off and leave me alone. Not like any of you have been on my side lately anyway."

"And why is that?" Alain countered. "I've just been trying to keep things from getting too bad with everybody. You're the one who's been keeping it up."

"Again, why shouldn't I? You know how Ange is! So what if she's not being as _much _of a total bitch. You know she doesn't respect any of us."

"I didn't _ask _why Ange is a problem." Alain stated. "I asked why _you _feel like keeping things up. Not even you would hold a grudge for this long for no reason."

"Don't go talking like you actually know anything about me!" Hilda snapped. "Sheesh, why would you even care?"

"Because I care about a lot of people here. I wouldn't be here if I didn't." Hilda rolled her eyes. "Look, nobody's ever going to know anything if you don't talk about it. If you're not in the mood right now, then fine. But come on, at least try and not make your friends worry about you." Hilda remained silent. "You don't have to, but… why not go watch the events? I'm sure it'd cheer Chris right up, and Rosalie would probably just try harder than she usually does. You've been with them for years after all. I know the other day was kind of a snarl, but what are friends for if not for helping each other out?"

"I might think about it." Hilda turned sharply and headed off, Alain sighing as he rubbed the back of his head. _'Rosalie's right, she is hard to figure out. Something's bothering her but I just can't figure out what… well now I'm just unmotivated, nap it is.' _Alain went back to the path he was taking until he wound up back at his room. He was ready to crash for a while, but as soon as he dropped onto the bed, a soft ringing from underneath caught his ear.

"What the heck…?" Reaching under his bed, Alain found the CROSS communicator after a bit of fiddling around. His eyes widened as he opened it and saw the communications code on the screen. "No way… Heartbreak?!" He was quick to answer once he saw that. "Hello?"

"_Hey there kid, been a while." _Leon greeted.

"How the heck did you…"

"_I remembered the time stuff with the Festa happens. Also the stories the boys told about how you run off every year. How _is _Jasmine anyway? Boss would be interested in hearing from her." _Despite the friendly tone, Alain knew Leon enough. _"Ahehe… you know damn well I'm not calling just to have a friendly chat, aren't you?"_

"Of course not. You're not exactly the type for small talk, Heartbreak." Alain leaned back on the wall, glancing out of the window. "I'm guessing Tusk got into contact with you guys… so what'd he tell ya?"

"_Well, for one, that Villkiss is back in action." _

"Of course he did." If there was one thing Alain knew, it was Tusk being unable to keep a secret if he was pressured enough. Or teased about something. Knowing the Garuda Team, Alain presumed the latter. "I would've told Sky Eye and Bandog last time we talked but… you know how Jill is. She wants nothing to do with you guys."

"_So it is true… and I'm assuming the pilot is that Angelise girl. How much does she know?"_

"Basically nothing. Jill won't tell her a thing until she gets in line. Ange is a bit of a problem child. But… she's a hell of a pilot. She also knows the song."

"_For real?"_

"Yeah. She sings it every now and again during sorties."

"_So then she just might… dammit Alektra, why are you so stubborn?" _Alain shrugged as Leon grumbled. _"I understand wanting to sort out a problematic pilot, but where is she going to get by keeping secrets? If the girl can use Villkiss then just fill her in on things dammit."_

"Even if she did I'm not sure Jill would be interested in talking to CROSS." Alain said. "If she knew we were having this talk I'd probably wind up in the infirmary."

"_I get it. Just knowing who the Villkiss Rider is is more than enough. Plus, with Tusk back in the field it's even better than we could ask for. You do still owe us for that request you made about that girl." _Alain flinched, and Leon's chuckle revealed he knew he'd gotten Alain. _"You can make up for it next time you're on the mainland. Enjoy the rest of the Festa kid, I'll yank your ear then. Give Jasmine mine and Boss's regards next chance you get… and tell her we'll wait for their word."_

"Will do. But… before you go, do you think anything is gonna happen? That Embryo could make a move?" Leon was silent for a moment at Alain's question. Of course he would be. "I know it's been ten years since Libertus… I still remember… I remember everything that happened at Farbanti. I _can't _forget. Jill can't forget… what if he _does?"_

"_I'm not sure how I can answer that." _Leon said, Alain grinding his teeth. _"Embryo's been quiet since then. He likely still thinks there's no chance of another uprising so long as Villkiss remains unknown. If he does… then we have to do everything we can this time. None of us who survived that day have forgotten either. For now… don't do anything rash. I'd suggest you focus on helping that Ange girl… maybe even tell her what Jill won't if you get a chance."_

"I'll try." Alain gave a breath to relax himself. "Alright… over and out. Talk to you another time."

"_Yeah. Over and out." _Alain closed the communicator and set it aside as he flopped onto his bed. He closed his eyes, images of flames flashing through his mind. The bodies torn pieces, some of them somehow phased into the rubble around them. In front of him a downed Wyvern, stumbling out of its cockpit was his parents… and in the sky above, a machine with crimson armor, hovering over the carnage around it like an angel of destruction. _'Next time I swear, when I see that thing again, I'm taking it down.'_

* * *

'_Maybe taking a nap after remembering something like _that _was a bad idea.' _Alain pinched his nose as he was making his way back towards the beach. By now the sun was starting to dip over the horizon, painting the sky a dark purple. Alain's attempt at a nap hadn't really been helpful thanks to the memory that had been dragged up, so he was hoping getting back around some other people would help cool him off.

"We have this years winner!" Alain picked up his pace a bit as Jasmine's call echoed down the hallway. _'Might as well actually see who won.' _He thought. "Who would have thought? The darkest of dark horses! Chris of Garm Squadron!"

"Ehh?" As he made his way through the crowd, Alain's eyes widened as he spotted Chris proudly standing atop the stage, brandishing the prize placard with a more serious look than he'd seen her with _outside _of trashing him at video games. "Chris won? What and how?"

"You missed one hell of a show." Alain turned when he heard Salia, who was approaching with Ersha and Vivian. "She just suddenly blazed ahead of everybody. Quite the grand and intricate plan for our Ghost."

"It was an amazing comeback." Ersha agreed.

"Fly like a butterfly, and sting like a butterfly!" Vivian cheered.

"It's "float like a butterfly, and sting like a bee" Vivian." Alain corrected, ruffling the younger girl's hair.

"So, how did you end up getting caught?" Ersha asked, Alain looking to the side as his face clenched. "You're normally so slippery."

"That would be my fault." Naomi strolled up, Alain not being able to stop a glare from coming to his face. "I said I was sorry! I couldn't pass up an extra cut on the debt! Like I said you can get back at me however you want!"

"I'm not _that _mad. Kinda drained myself of that earlier." Alain sighed, ignoring the questioning looks he got. "I'm just glad I'm back in time for…" Alain was cut off by a loud whistling, everyone turning as the following _boom _came with the colored sparks of fireworks painting the sky. More and more followed, filling the sky with brief flashes of colors and making patterns from stars to swirls as they rang through the air. "It's almost funny… as much as I like fireworks, whenever I see them, I always think about how we fly higher than they can go." The booming of the fireworks meant his comment went unheard, but something else _did _come to mind.

"_You know, we fly higher than these fireworks?" _A memory from so long ago he was almost sure it'd be lost to the recesses of time. A Festa just like that day, but so long ago. A much younger Alain looking away from the fireworks and down at his father, carrying the boy on his shoulders as the sky boomed. _"Everytime Wyvern and I go out there, we're able to go higher than these brilliant sparks. From down here, it seems pretty impressive doesn't it?"_

"_Dad, if fireworks went that high then we'd never be able to see them!" _Alain had complained, his father laughing. _"But… that is cool. You think I could go that high one day in a Para-mail of my own?"_

"_I kind of wish you won't have to."_

"_Ehh? Why not! Flying seems fun! You and Mom always look excited to go out there!"_

"_I just hope it because right now, if you did I don't like what it would mean." _Alain did know what it meant for the ones who flew out each day, what it was they fought. He had taken the same lessons as all the girls after all. But, he wasn't sure why his father didn't want him to do the same. _"I'm just staring off at a far off future I can't guess anything about. Right now, all of our hopes for that are pinned on Alektra… I hate to put that kind of burden on a girl her age."_

"_But Alektra's super tough _and _she can fly Villkiss!"_

"_That she is. But… I always thought that kids should just get to be kids." _His father reached up and ruffled Alain's hair. _"Do you know why people like fireworks? It's because they only last for a short time. We humans ironically adore the things that never last forever. So be sure to hold tight to those brief moments alright? And… if the worst happens, and you do have to start fighting… treasure them and the people you hold close even more. And maybe… fly higher and higher, past anyone else and into that dark blue yonder your foolish father loves."_

"_I'd just bring everyone with me." _Alain's blunt response caught the man off guard. _"It'd be no fun if I went by myself. Me, you, Mom, Tusk, Alektra, Leon, Naomi, Salia, Ersha, Rosalie, Chris… If I'm gonna do something like that, then I want to bring everyone up there with me!"_

"_Then do just that. Fly off with everyone into unknown skies."_

"How did I forget something like that?" Alain rubbed his eyes off, looking around at the girls of Garm Squadron as they watched the fireworks with eyes lit with joy. Alain then reached an arm up, closing his fingers over a sparking blue firework as it went off. _'Further and higher right Dad? Look off to that far off future… this time I'll make sure we reach it. I'll make sure we get to the unknown skies where we're finally free.'_


	17. Chapter 16: New Mission

**Chapter 16: New Mission**

Like everybody else, Jill found her time to relax during the Festa. While being the Commander of Arzenal was a rather lax post due to her lack of combat deployments, it wasn't like she wasn't kept busy for other reasons. And she didn't think there was much better on this night with fireworks than a cold mug of beer to go with it. She just made sure Alain was nowhere in sight she knew the brat would never let her forget it if he caught her smiling at all.

"Hey…" Maggy said between draws of her own mug. "How much you wanna bet the kid has been dragged off to a bedroom by Garm?"

"Really?" Jill droned, "Do you _want _him to die?"

"Eh I just think he deserves a rough time every now and again."

"You really are quite the sadist." The light mood was suddenly shifted when the two saw a panicked Emma sprinting across the sand. _'What's got her in a mess now?'_

"It's an emergency!" The inspector shrieked, slamming her hands onto the table. "It's… it's Lady Misty! She's not in the residency and… I checked the security footage… that darn girl from Garm is responsible!"

"Ange did what now?" Maggy asked.

"No time! She took her to the launch bay! We have to stop her before it's too late!" Emma sprinted off without a moment to spare.

"It just _had _to be tonight. Jasmine!" Jill shouted, the elder Norma poking her head out of the tent. "We're following the Inspector!"

"I'll go check the mall to see if they lifted anything!" Jill nodded as Jasmine ran off in her own direction. When the remaining three reached the tarmac, it was already too late. The royal transport was too far off to catch. And right behind it, Hilda was sprinting after the thing before making a leap onto the still opened boarding ramp as it lifted off and flew towards the horizon.

"O-Oh no!" Emma wailed, shuddering like a leaf. "Lady Misty's been kidnapped by Norma…" With a sigh, Emma's eyes rolled back as she passed out, Maggy catching the young woman before she hit the tarmac.

"Well this is a mess." Jasmine grumbled, approaching with Vulcan, turning to the dog as she crumpled a wrapper. "And you! You were bought out by some hamburgers!" Vulcan gave an apologetic whine. "At least the girl bothered to pay."

"Jasmine, we're getting Alain." Jill said. "Wyvern can catch the transport easily. Maggy, take the Inspector to a room while we get him."

"Aye aye." Maggy hefted Emma up and walked her back inside. Jill was downright fuming as she and Jasmine made their way back to the beach, a mood that only went up more as they looked around and didn't see any sign of Alain. Nor Garm Squadron for that matter.

"Oh boy…" Jasmine sighed. Thankfully, she spotted Vivian trotting around. "Oi! Vivian!"

"Hm? Oh, Aunty and the Commander, wassup?" Vivian greeted the two with her usual gusto.

"Where's Alain?" Jill demanded, Vivian humming.

"Well, last I saw Big Bro he was with the others. You shoulda seen it! They all just hefted him up and took him inside! I think I heard Chris say something about cashing in on her other prize." As Vivian explained, Jill pinched her nose while Jasmine slapped her forehead. "Why're you looking for him? Is something up?"

"No, nothing. Just enjoy the rest of the night." Jasmine said.

"Gotcha! See ya later!"

"Well… didn't expect my little prank to suddenly bite us in the ass." Jasmine grumbled as Vivian skipped off. "I'll take the blame for this one. The girls aren't just gonna let him off for no reason. The only one we _could _tell would be Salia. We're going to have to tell him in the morning."

"Dammit." Jill cursed. "Fine then… let's do what we can. Contact Tusk and tell him to see if he can track them down. If I'm right, Ange is likely to head for Misurugi."

"Don't forget Hilda." Jasmine pointed out. "But why would she of all people be joining up with her?"

"Don't know and don't care. Ange is the only one that matters. Just tell Tusk. I'll brief Alain early." Jill stormed off, her right hand clenching up. _'And things were going so smoothly… there just had to be a snag in things, didn't it? Never think anything can be easy… that's how you get killed.'_

* * *

Stoic as her face was, Jill was cursing to herself as she strode down Arzenal's hallways. She almost wished that all she could be bothered with after the Festa was the a Singularity. That was easy to manage and wouldn't demand her to take steps under Inspector Emma's nose to deal with it. But it just _had _to be something that had never at all happened in Arzenal's long history. _'An escape of all things' _she fumed._ "If this has any other consequences it'll be the end of me.'_

Once she got to Alain's door, she gave it a hard rap with her prosthetic. When there wasn't a reply, Jill banged even harder. She knew the situation, but she wasn't in the mood to deal with any of the antics the younger ones got up to. Putting her ear up to the door, she heard what sounded like labored grunting.

"I'm coming in." Jill warned as threw the door open. She had expected to walk in on something, but she had _not _expected to see Alain prying himself out of a mess of bodies on his bed. Even the stoic Commander couldn't help but show her exasperation as Alain sat up, the young man surrounded and pinned by Ersha, Naomi, Salia, Rosalie, and Chris. "How are you not dead?"

"I'm kind of asking myself that question." Alain muttered, coughing a bit. "Definitely need some water that's for sure…"

"Alain…" Naomi groaned, her head flopping across Alain's lap as her eyes pried open. "You were like a demon last night…"

"Give me a break." Jill groaned. "Once all of you sort out… _this, _Alain, I need you to report to my office for a private briefing. Make it quick."

"Yes ma'am." Alain lowered his arm from saluting as Jill left and slammed the door shut. "Is it just me or is Jill in more of a mood than usual?"

"Not just you." Naomi murmured. "She's definitely mad about something."

"And if she's asking for a private briefing…" Salia muttered, a hand at her back as she rolled over. "I pretty much know what that means. You're about to be gone for a while again aren't you?"

"It has been a while." Ersha said while stretching. "My, I haven't been this sore after a night in ages. What got into you?"

"No idea." Alain replied. "Still, Jill really did seem mad. Did something happen last night? It was the Festa so what could've…"

"A morning like this and you're already in work mode." Rosalie draped herself across Alain's back, the boy sighing. "And why the heck are you leaving? They can't give you a few days after the Festa before sending you off on one of those stupid "expeditions" or whatever?"

"Can't you just… not?" Chris groaned, rolling over to look at Alain. Who then promptly flicked both girls on the forehead.

"It's not like I'm ever gone for more than a week. That and you two were all over each other half the time last night. It's not like you'll be lonely." Alain's snark was then met with Ersha grabbing him next.

"No but some of us will be, so be quick alright?" Ersha then hummed. "I thought that would get _some _reaction out of you."

"After what I got put through last night, I think I'll make the week just fine." Alain snarked, earning laughs from the others. Then he put a hand out to the center, the girls placing theirs over his. "Now for the _other _post-Festa ritual. For luck up in the skies for another year!"

"So that all of us make it through safely." Salia said, the group throwing their joined hands up. "So, Naomi, welcome back to the fold. Hope you're ready."

"Trust me Salia, I'm good to do." Naomi then clapped Alain on the back. "Once your back Alain, make sure you're on the team for my first go!"

"You can bet on that." Alain tapped a fist with Naomi. _'Though… I do feel like I have an idea what Jill's attitude could be about… I almost hope I'm wrong though.'_

* * *

"I'm sorry but… what?" Alain almost couldn't believe what Jill had told him. But, he also knew Jill wasn't much for openly lying about things. Maybe holding back the truth, yes, but not outright lies. "Ange and Hilda? Escaping together? When the hell did this happen?!"

"Last night during the fireworks." Jill said. "We _would _have sent you out to stop them before they could get anywhere. But thanks to Jasmine's little stunt, you ended up… _occupied." _Alain could see Jill's festering anger in her eyes, so he decided against saying anything smart. "You're being sent out to locate our escapees. Ange is your priority. We've also contacted Tusk, so you should link up with him once you arrive."

"You know… there is actually something that might help." As Jill raised a brow, Alain unclipped Wyvern's terminal. "Wyvern, play the message you intercepted."

"_Affirmative."_

"Momoka, can you hear me?! Did you find Angelise? Is my older sister there?! Ah! Let me go! Big sister! Angelise, please save me!" As the message ended, Jill folded her hands, her eyes darkening over a bit.

"So, my guess was right. Ange is heading for Misurugi. Damned fool! There's no way it's a coincident a message like that arrived after the maid shows up."

"I was thinking the same thing." Alain agreed as he sat down. "We still don't know just how Momoka knew where Arzenal was. The only people with that information are world leaders. And the only way a menial like her would find out is if she either overheard something… or somebody told her."

"Meaning Ange might be walking into a trap." Jill lit a cigarette and took a long drag. Alain couldn't blame her. If he was the sort to smoke, he'd probably take one himself. "Absolutely _fantastic. _This makes things far more complicated."

"You said they stole a transport." Alain said, Jill nodding. "Those things aren't all that fast, and it's not like they could just drop down in Misurugi itself. If I head there I always park Wyvern in the woods outside of the city. But… I can't really know where they would've landed. If it was just Ange this'd be easy but why would Hilda…?"

"Hilda's not my concern." Jill told him as she blew out a puff of smoke. "Sooner or later the humans will find her, and either they'll kill her or ship her back here. Ange is the only priority you need to concern yourself with. Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am." Alain said through gritted teeth.

"Above all, be discreet." Jill added, lowering her hands. "Try to get Ange back here quietly without causing a ruckus. If she doesn't go and cause one herself and gets caught. I doubt those Misurugi folk will take kindly to her showing up on their doorstep."

"I can do quiet." Alain said. With a salute, Alain stood and turned to leave. As he made his way down the hall, he couldn't help but wonder what Hilda's role in all of this was. It couldn't be a coincidence the two of them had decided to work together on this. The only thing he could think of was that Hilda had somehow overhead the same transmission as him. But if so why didn't she just blow the whistle on Ange? That was the sort of thing he'd expect her to do.

'_Unless there's somewhere she's trying to go.' _He realized. Like Ange, Hilda had been a late arrival to Arzenal. Was it possible she was trying to rejoin whatever family she had out there? Was everything he knew about her one big act? _'Either way, there's no way I'm going to just leave her out there if I can avoid it. But, I'm going to need more info if I'm going to track her down.'_

* * *

Alain pulled out his CROSS communicator and plugged it into Wyvern's console. He'd been flying low over open water for a while now, and now was the best time to open a line. "Communications code RX-78. Callsign, Mobius One."

"_This better not be for some dumb favor!" _Alain snickered as Bandog greeted him. _"Quit laughing. Why the heck are you calling this time?"_

"Relax Bandog, I'm not putting you guys on the spot again. I mean… I do have a favor to ask, but it's for a job. I'm actually on my way to the mainland right now, and I need some information before I show up."

"_Something reasonable. Alright, that I can manage. Been a while since you were out in the field anyway. What's Jill got you doing this time?"_

"Let's call it… asset retrieval. Of the _personnel _type."

"_What?" _It was a rare day indeed when the crass Bandog was left speechless.

"I only found out this morning. Last night during the Festa, a couple of Norma managed to escape Arzenal by stealing one of the transport's from Rosenblum." Alain explained. "Jill's sent me out to find them… well, one of them. She had Jasmine contact Tusk, though I'm not sure if you've heard anything from him about it."

"_Whoa whoa, slow down! Some Norma _escaped?! _Why the hell would they even want to leave?!"_

"Well, one of them was Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi herself, for one."

"_Oh… ohhhhhhh." _Alain heard typing as Bandog went silent, then a long sigh followed. _"Okay, we actually just got an alert. The guys in Rosenblum said a unit was sent out because the Royal transport was seen entering the airspace. It set down some time in the morning. Looks like that one got solved… but why in the hell would the princess want to go _back?"

"Her sister contacted her through the maid." Alain said as Bandog hummed in thought. "Yeah I thought there was something fishy about it too. But… well, if there is some kind of trap there's no way Momoka is aware of it. That girl's loyal to a fault."

"_We should have seen this coming. There's no way she'd have found out about Arzenal unless someone fed told her. I see why Jill sent you out now. I can get some of our guys onto that. Garuda Team's pretty close to Misurugi. They should still be able to meet up with Tusk if he's heading there. Now, what about the other one?"_

"That's the million-dollar question." Alain leaned back, tapping a finger on his controls. "Her birth name's Hildegard Schlievogt. She was a late arrival old enough to have known her family. I need you to look up her file in the NMB's database. See if she has any relatives out there that could tell us where she's headed."

"_What's the ID number?"_

"Norma #3192-14." Alain leaned on a hand as Bandog fell silent. It was convenient that CROSS could use their connections to Rosenblum to track these kinds of things. A little-known fact was the various countries had a quota of Norma to send to Arzenal each month. Most of them, once they hit that quota, were all too happy to do whatever they wanted with any others. CROSS had long since taken it on themselves to save the Norma they could that were not sent to the penal colony. "Got anything?"

"_Don't rush me." _Bandog snapped. _"But… right here. Let's see what we got… Hildegard Schlievogt, retrieved from the Enderant Union at six years old and sent to Arzenal. Was taken from her home where she used to live with her mother, father was regularly out due to work. According to records, since she was taken, the Schlievogts have remained quiet… oh you have got to be fucking with me."_

"Hmm?" Alain did not think that was a good sign as Bandog let out a strained growl.

"_According to the record as of this time the family has a new daughter. Want to guess what her name is?" _Alain felt something go dark as the realization hit him. _"And this is why I hate these people sometimes. They replaced their own daughter and acted like she never even existed. Fucking hell…" _

"And there's no way Hilda would know any of that…" Alain grumbled, his knitted hands shaking as he tightened up. There wasn't any point in getting angry, but he couldn't help but feel a flame start rising up at the idea. He'd seen it before, parents who had their daughters taken from them right in the open because of the child being a Norma. Something that couldn't at all be helped. He had a hard time trying to forget the anguished faces of each one he'd seen, and it made him wonder how some of them could just go on and have a new child afterwards like nothing had happened. The thought of it did not, and would not, ever sit well with him. "Well… at least now I know where I can find her."

"_So we've got two targets." _Bandog said._ "One in the Holy Empire of Misurugi and the second in the Enderant Union. If Tusk got called up, I say let him and Garuda handle Misurugi. I can tell by your tone you're pissed. I'll get with SkyEye and see if we can't get any more info before you land. Head to the base we've got set up around the border area. SkyEye's been there so he'll fill you in with anything we find out."_

"Thanks." Alain said. "Over and out." As the line closed, Alain leaned back, taking a few breaths to try and relax himself.

"_You became awfully tense after hearing that." _Wyvern said, Alain looking at the now changed panel. _"Is it not logical that after losing one child to have another in order to carry the family on?"_

"Logic isn't the point buddy." Alain said. "Humans aren't always logical about things y'know. Besides… isn't the point of a parent to love their child unconditionally? Why the _hell _would they give their new child the same name if they _weren't _just replacing her?!"

"_I do not have an answer for that." _Wyvern said. _"I for one, see nothing but irrationality in the ways in which Norma are treated. While their inability to use mana is due to a genetic difference, I do not understand why it is they must be cast out. All of the Norma of Arzenal operate perfectly fine as their own society. So why is it those of the mana kingdoms treat them so differently?"_

"And that a question for the ages? Besides, this system only exists because of _him. _But… can I ask you something?"

"_Of course."_

"If something… happened, and my friends were in danger, what would you do?"

"_Protect them, of course." _The AI answered. _"Logic or not, I have been around the Norma and Ancient Humans for a long time. To me… I am not sure how you would describe it. I do not feel emotion as humans do, yet I cannot help but choose that as my immediate answer. If ever you or those you care for were in danger, then I would do all in my power to protect them. I can assure you of that much."_

"Thanks. It's reassuring. So… let's save them both."

"_I would expect nothing else from you, Alain."_

* * *

Since it wasn't like they could have just gone right into Misurugi with the transport, Ange had directed Momoka to bring them down at the first forest they found in range. It still meant they were probably a day out from Misurugi, but Ange had been sure to load up the supplies for that. Hilda's somewhat unexpected addition to things had snarled up Ange's plan a bit, but since they were going their own ways at some point, she didn't think much further on it. Hilda had her reasons to leave Arzenal, and Ange had hers. That was enough for her at the moment.

"Though I can't say being this far out is something I'm familiar with." Ange expressing her displeasure at needing to make such a lengthy trip got a chuckle from Hilda and a sympathetic look from Momoka.

"Well we do what we have to." Hilda said, adjusting the Armorer's jumpsuit she'd pilfered to wear instead of her swimsuit. Ange had also taken some proper combat gear from Jasmine's shop, which like the guns were shoved into the duffel bag on her back. At least left the money to compensate Jasmine with.

"Maybe we should try to find a vehicle?" Momoka suggested. "There's an old pre-mana station over there. Perhaps it has something?" Momoka directed the two Norma's eyes to a derelict building just off the road. Ange had read plenty about the pre-mana days as a child, how some places in the world still had the remains of such times littered around and left to rot. "I think it's one of those… what were they called, gas stations?"

"Better than nothing." Hilda said. She checked the front of the building, and was quick to find something that brought a smile to her face. Covered in a tarp inside the main building was a motorcycle and sidecar. And in surprisingly good condition too. "How about it? You ride behind me and Momoka takes the sidecar."

"At least as far as the crossroads." Ange said, helping pull open the rusted door. "Enderant is further away."

"How considerate, Princess." Hilda mused, looking for anything else as she pulled the tarp off of the motorcycle, finding a black riding suit neatly folded on the seat. "How convenient. It's almost like somebody left this here just for us."

"Who knows?" Ange said, dropping the duffel bag into the sidecar. "Let's just get going."

"Fine by me." Finding a key hanging from a wall hook, Hilda started the motorcycle up, a satisfying rumble sounding as the engine kicked to life. Once they got it on the road, it wasn't long until they came to the crossroads the map had lead them to. Ange couldn't help but stare as the sign for Misurugi was dashed out. Just what had happened to her old home in the months since she'd been banished? _'Sylvia… don't you worry, I'll be there soon.' _"Guess this is where we part ways, right?"

"I suppose it is." Ange said, hefting her bag over her shoulder. Hilda nodded and revved the cycle as Ange and Momoka headed off the other way, though then she came to a stop.

"Ange!" Hilda called out. "You better not die out there."

"You too, Hilda." Ange said as Hilda drove off. Ange looked off as she and Momoka continued on their own way. She didn't know what would be waiting for her once they arrived in Misurugi. Ange did know she'd be ready for whatever was thrown at her. _'If it gets between me and Sylvia, it won't get much of a chance to stick around.'_

* * *

As Wyvern was coasting over rolling stretches of green hills and trees Alain was glad for it's stealth. It wasn't clear why, but something about the particle drives interfered with mana sensors. It was why he could sneak in and out of the Mana society so easily. Especially since he could only fly so low in unpopulated areas like the land CROSS had occupied for their operations.

"_On approach to rendezvous point now." _Wyvern pinged. Right in front of them was a lake with a few scattered vacation homes around the hilly terrain surrounding it, fed by a waterfall coming from a low cliff. _"Sending out landing request now."_

"Forward Base Recta, this is Mobius One from Arzenal requesting permission to land."

"_We knew you were coming Mobius." _SkyEye's voice greeted him. _"Come on in."_

"Ten-four." Alain reduced his speed as he neared the waterfall, which parted as a pair of struts extended out from behind it. As the Wyvern passed through the opened gap, the struts retracted, and massive pair of sliding doors shut behind the falls as Alain set down in the designated space that had been cleared. _'A bit quieter than I was expecting.' _Alain thought as he climbed out of Wyvern. _'Was expecting a bit more of a welcome.'_

"Expecting a party? Well unfortunately, everyone was in a scramble once Bandog relayed your message." Alain turned around, wand walking towards him was a young man wearing mechanics coveralls and pulling a headset down from his dark grey hair, the CROSS operator Alain knew best as SkyEye, Ray Nagase. "So unfortunately, right now all you've got is me."

"Hey I'd rather be greeted by you than Garuda." Alain said, taking Ray by the hand and then bumping his shoulder. "Those idiots would've barely let me get out of Wyvern before swamping me with questions."

"Well lucky for you they'll be swamping Tusk instead." Ray laughed. "So, how's the big guy?"

"_I am fine." _Wyvern answered. _"Though I would ask we do not spend too much time chatting. I doubt we have much time to find Ange and Hilda before something happens."_

"He's right." Alain agreed. "Bandog said you'd be looking into stuff. You find anything while I was on the way?"

"A few things actually." Following Ray into the other room, Alain saw that among the communications equipment, a tactical table had been set up within it. Ray turned the table on and a map of the surrounding region was displayed on the screen. "A little while ago, I got a signal from one of our supply posts out in the boonies." The image scrolled along to a more remote area, stopping at a point marked with a red triangle. "And take a gander at what the hidden cameras caught." As Ray typed on the console, the screen zoomed opened a series of windows. Exactly as Alain guessed, the blurry images of Ange, Hilda, and Momoka appeared.

"That's them alright." He sighed.

"Yeah, our little wrench in the works." Ray muttered. "If you and Bandog were right about this being some kind of trap, then we need to work fast. As for tracking them… well we know where those two are going. As for the redhead…" Ray cleared the windows, and a blip was shown leaving from the marked location, pausing at a crossroad before heading off towards Enderant. "Luckily they didn't stop to think why a perfectly good pre-Mana bike was in the middle of nowhere, so they didn't bother to check if it was tagged."

"If Ange and Momoka are going to Misurugi by foot, then it'll take them a couple of days." Alain hummed. "What about Hilda?"

"I've already run the numbers for you." Ray said. "She'll be in Enderant by nightfall. If you want to catch up then you'd better leave now."

"Would be faster if I could just use Wyvern." Alain grumbled, leaning on the table.

"Except even with it's ability to avoid mana detection you can't turn invisible. You _do _park in the woods for a reason most of the time." Ray pointed out, Alain nodding with a sigh. "But don't worry. There's an Air Runner here that you can use."

"What about supplies?" Alain asked as they headed back out to the hangar. "Jill wants me to keep things quiet, but I'm basically going to be looking for a needle in a haystack here."

"We did think of that." Ray answered, stopping at one of the worktables. "First off, a piece of kit that'll help out. Take a look." The young man opened up a case, Alain lifting a brow at what _seemed _like an ordinary pair of fingerless gloves linked by power cords to a pair of armlets "How about a demonstration? Put 'em on and I'll tell you what they do."

"Okay." Alain did as directed, replacing his own gloves and clipping the armlets on. "Now what?"

"These are a device we finished a few weeks ago for the Ancient Human operators." Ray reached to the armlets and pressed switches on them, Alain's eyes widening as they flashed with a green glow that then went along the wires. "As you know, those of us with implants retain a limited capacity for using Mana." illustrating his point, Ray craned his head and pulled some of his hair back, showing a black hexagonal chip at the base of his head. With a flick of his hand, a brief glow appeared around one of the handguns on the table and zipped to his palm. "It makes it easy for us to blend in when we need to. As for guys like you… well, you've told me plenty."

"Yeah I pretty much always have to play it safe. Can't even be in a situation I'd even need to try and fake using Mana." Mimicking the gesture Ray had done, Alain's eyes widened again as another of the handguns flashed, hovering for a moment before going to his outstretched hand. "Now _that _is cool."

"Definitely. The things use special capacitors that draw in ambient Mana. Though they can't use much so the best you'll be able to do is move small objects and project mana screens. Though when it comes to mana communications, you'll still need Wyvern for that. As for the _other _thing that should help you out…" Ray then turned around the tablet he was carrying, Alain taking it and glancing at the screen. "Heartbreak suggested we put together and identity for you to use. Better to make sure you have a story, so some of the operators in Rosenblum chipped in. As of right now, you're an operative with the NMB, fresh from the academy and on his first assignment already."

"Alain Lampert… you couldn't have given me a better name than that?"

"Beggars can't be choosers." Ray said countered. "It's just supposed to make sure any suspicious police look the other way. _Hopefully, _they'll also let you take your friend back if they find her first."

"Friend is a… hard term to use when it comes to Hilda." Alain muttered.

"She one of your 'special friends'?" Ray smirked.

"No! Just… we don't really get along that well. I try to be friendly where I can… but you know me. I'm the type who gives what I get. If someone gives me attitude, I give it right back. But I want to help her anyway. Besides… Jill doesn't care what happens to her. Someone has to."

"Especially with what I heard she's walking into." Ray shrugged. "So, looks like you've got your op figured out. Try not to make a mess of it."

"I can _do _quiet." Alain insisted. "So long as the situation works with me. I can at least promise not to leave a trail of bodies." Alain set the handgun down as Ray turned off to another room. "What do you think Wyvern?"

"_I believe haste would be good. The sooner we act, the better. I believe if we are quick enough, after retrieving Hilda we could head to Misurugi with time to spare." _Alain turned back to Ray as the operator came back with another case.

"I can at least tell the guys while they're on standby you might join up with them." Ray said. "But, I can't assure they won't act if they need to."

"Fine by me. Tusk has his own reasons to wanna help Ange out anyway. I'd hate to steal his thunder."

"What's the story behind that anyway?" Ray asked. "We tried to get it out of him, but he just went red and wouldn't talk." Now it was Alain's turn to smirk.

"Pull up a chair, I'll tell you while I'm getting ready."


	18. Chapter 17: Something is Always Moving

_Rondo in the Endless Sky_

**Chapter 17: Something is Always Moving**

Tusk hadn't exactly known what he'd be getting into when he decided to make his way to the mainland. CROSS's operations were one thing. He'd dealt with the organization plenty of times during his time on his island, especially the times they tried to convince him to join up. Ever since he'd left, he had to admit it was pretty uneventful. Mostly just watching for any activity or lending a hand here and there to field operatives. At least until he'd gotten contacted by Jasmine the other night. _'Ange…' _and of course he wouldn't at all refuse to help find the girl. _'I did know about that maid arriving, Bandog wouldn't stop grumbling about it… but to think there might be a trap set for Ange when she arrives.'_

Tusk shook his head as he made his way down the roads of Misurugi. He'd been in the city for a while now and blending in wasn't exactly hard to do. There was the occasional whisper directed at him from girls who passed him by, but he just waved those off. And while he made sure to avoid situations where overt Mana use was needed, the Mana gloves he'd been provided made it easier to keep people from being suspicious. _'Not that actually using it doesn't feel odd… why something so simple and even replicable has caused so much strife is beyond me.'_

He wasn't here to mull about _why _things happened however. Ever since the news had hit CROSS had been in an uproar. A few hours ago he'd been contacted and told to meet up with Garuda Team in the suburbs of the city. It wasn't like the group could just have their way with things in such tightly surveyed areas after all. So here he was, as far away from the central district as possible in the Old Town area. After making sure that nobody was watching, Tusk ducked into an alley, and knocked in a particular rhythm on a door in at the very back.

"Password?" A dry voice said as a slot on the door opened, the glint of a visor catching the light.

"Come on, we agreed that knocking pattern would tell you who I was." As Tusk complained, the greeter snickered.

"Ah lemme have a bit of fun!"

"High Roller, quit messing around and let him in!"

"Alright, sheesh! No one followed you right?"

"Of course not." Tusk insisted. The panel on the door shut, and a few locks clicked before it opened. Tusk entered an old garage that had all sorts of things strewn about it. The space inside was mostly taken up by the four Air Runners, and a few tables with bits of equipment strewn around, leaving very little room for the occupants of the space, all of them other young men like Tusk.

Guarding the door was High Roller, his visor pulled up over his black hair as he messed with a deck of cards as he stepped off to the side. Seated at a table before a computer was Shamrock, his hooded jacket hiding his blond hair, while his stern expression reflected at Tusk from his computer's screen. At an adjacent table was Huxian, the team's weapon expert. Beneath his russet hair, scars marked a vulpine face, which made his gruff expression even sterner. And looking over a data pad, was a man taller than the entire group, their leader Chopper, his rugged face marked by a casual grin, with slicked black hair and notable sideburns, he cut an image like a biker out of some TV show. The four of them made the Garuda Team, one of CROSS's best, yet perhaps also oddest, operator team.

"About time you got here." Chopper said, throwing an arm across Tusk's shoulders. "I was worried you'd be late looking for your girl out there."

"She's not likely to show up for a couple more days." Tusk said, getting free of the larger young man's arm. "Good to know you're in as good a mood as usual."

"Well not like it _hasn't _been that long since we met up at Galia." Chopper said, sitting down across from Huxian. "Though I do have to say they've thrown quite the op on our shoulders. Whaddya think Huxian?"

"It's ridiculous." The red-headed weapons expert growled. "Why should we wait? If we know the girl is coming shouldn't we just grab her the first chance we have?"

"Not sure that'd work out." Shamrock said, turning from his computer. "We don't know where she's even going to enter the city from. And no way we can do anything in the day. If she's going to make a move once she gets here, it'll be at night like us."

"So _basically _we have to, what, _let her _to something stupid?" High Roller asked. "I mean my bet was on that anyway. I don't mind if we need to bust some heads."

"Tusk knows the girl." Chopper said. "What do you think she'd do?"

"Pretty much what you guys are thinking." Tusk sighed. "Ange doesn't really have a concept of subtlety. When she gets here, I'm pretty sure some ruckus is going to start up. She'll make too much noise."

"And while we deal with _that _Trigger is off in Enderant huntin' down some _other _girl." Huxian said. "Least he's got the easy job."

"Lucky bastard." High Roller tched. "I was gonna grill him for not being able to meet up with us. I have some damn questions that need answerin'! Like if he had any photos from that Festa so I could sell 'em to the guys back at home!"

"You mean auction." Shamrock said, High Roller giving him a narrowed look. "Or maybe I should be accurate and say use as betting chips."

"C'mon Shamrock you're as curious as I am! Trigger practically gets to _roll _in ladies! We barely got anything at base!"

"High Roller if you'd calm down a bit I'm _sure _more of the girls at home would be interested." Huxian snarked, all in the middle of quickly assembling a rifle and sighting it. "The more you whine about it, the less they'll be interested."

"You be quiet." High Roller grumbled, leaning on the worktable. "You're the one _with _a girlfriend. Let us single men complain."

"Is this really the thing to be talking about right now?" Tusk sighed.

"You're guilty too!" High Roller accused. "You got to spend, what, a week alone with that Ange girl! You still haven't told us how far you two got!"

"Because we didn't get that far!" Tusk shouted, his face getting red. "Why do you even care?"

"Because High Roller's too much of a gambler for his own good." Chopper smirked. "Anyway, Tusk has a point. You can riddle Trigger with all the questions about Arzenal you've got later. We've got a job to focus on and so we might as well do it. Shamrock, how's it going with getting into security feeds?"

"I've had that done for hours." Shamrock adjusted his seat as the others crowded around him, the computer showing a number of camera feeds that flicked about through different parts of the city. "I've got eyes across almost the entire city. If it's anywhere but the palace grounds, I'll be able to find our runaway."

"Good going." Chopper clapped Shamrock on the back, the techie grumbling from how hard it was. "While we wait for the girl to get here, we should go about and take inventory. We got those files from Bandog to look over too. We should scope out places she's likely to go to once she gets here. Tusk?"

"The palace is the obvious destination." Tusk said, Shamrock's cameras displaying a few angles on the Dawn Pillar that dominated the city. "As for other places… not sure. Maybe the school? She was a student there."

"That'd be my bet." High Roller smirked. "And not just for the scenery." A collective groan emerged from the group and he flipped them off. "Hey! We all drew lots and I won fair and square!"

"And why do you think that's where she's going?" Huxian droned.

"Easy! Misurugi's flippin' huge! If she's planning to get around, she's gonna need some kinda vehicle, right? _And _she has that maid with her. I'mthinking she might go and steal one of those iaria sleds from the school. They don't have GPA trackers after all, so they're good for getting around quietly."

"I swear if it wasn't for your attitude, I'd appreciate how smart you are more." Shamrock snarked.

"That definitely sounds like what Ange might do." Tusk agreed. Despite his somewhat off-putting obsession with the fairer sex, High Roller was nothing if not good at predicting things based on little information. He'd gotten his nickname for a reason. Tusk had heard a few stories from Alain about the young man's penchant for huge bets because he knew how to read people like books. "But as for getting that far…"

"Easy. Move around when night hits and stick to the alleys." Huxian said. "Anyone with common sense would make their moves like that if they're planning to sneak into a place. The only snag would be if she runs into someone she knew. She _was _a princess after all."

"Like say… if she's at the school and runs into an old classmate." Shamrock suggested. "Who would in all likelihood try to call the cops on her first chance."

"Which would also make sense." Tusk sighed. "Well, let's do what Chopper said and keep an eye on things for the next couple of days. If any of us sees anything, we immediately contact the others and get moving based on the situation. I know a way into the palace grounds too, so I can get us some information on the layout."

"That's our man!" Chopper laughed, again throwing an arm around Tusk. "If this goes right, we may not even need to wait for Trigger at all. Then we can brag to him about pulling this off once we get back to Recta Base."

"If we get lucky anyway." Shamrock said. "Let's hope he has it as easy as we think he will."

* * *

While making his way through more remote areas meant Alain could make a decent pace with the Air Runner he'd taken from Recta Base, the fact was Hilda still had one huge head start on him. He could follow after the tracker signal on the motorcycle easily enough, but it'd still take plenty of time to catch up. Recta Base was far enough away that by the time he reached the first town on the road after entering Enderant, a day had passed. He at least had the benefit of the town being remote enough he could hide the Air Runner in the woods. He threw a camo tarp over the Runner to make sure it would blend in, taking a seat on the grass as he pulled out Wyvern's terminal.

"The times I wish people didn't have to sleep." As much as he was trying to hurry, Alain was as human as anybody else, and needed at least _some _rest. But so did Hilda. He at least had that to count on. Though as he scanned the local map on the terminal, a low groan rose as he saw the signal was still a good distance out. "She must have passed through here at least. At least I know where she's going." Thankfully, Ray had managed to get him the information on where Hilda's family lived. '_But the problem is not knowing enough. But maybe somebody saw Hilda when she passed through.'_

With the plan in mind, he made his way into the town. For the sake of the mission Alain had traded out his Arzenal gear for clothing that would give off the impression he was just a traveler. He'd only use the faux identity as an NMB agent if a need for it came up. _'Good thing I'm not a bad actor.' _He wasn't a fan of it, but Alain could play nice if he needed to when out on these missions. _'Though I suppose the question is how to ask someone? Would be too weird if some random out-of-towner started asking around about a random girl.'_

An answer suddenly presented itself as he was making his way through the town square. Something that was a rare sight in the Mana nations, a shop with a broken window and holographic police lines around it. What was left of the window still stuck to the frame.

"Well that confirms she's been here." He thought aloud. He was tempted to take a closer look, but the police still milling around the scene made him hold back.

"It's pretty unusual, wouldn't you say?" Alain turned around and saw a man who looked only a few years older than he was. Like him, he also had the looks of someone passing through rather than a resident. What struck Alain the most however was his ashen blonde hair and icy blue eyes that felt ever so slightly unnerving to look at. "This town is ordinarily rather quiet from what people have told me. Yet last night the police came running because this store was robbed."

"Yeah no kidding." Alain put on a light, naïve jilt to his voice. _'Try to come off as some innocent type.' _He thought. "Why would anybody steal? All it would take is to simply go into the store. Maybe it's just a prank by some silly kids."

"Could be… except what broke the window came from inside of the building." The man said. "The owner had no idea what happened. According to the police, a couple who supposedly saw it happen said they caught a glimpse of a young woman." Alain didn't answer, though he suddenly felt a chill as the man stepped to the side. "If you ask me, it had to be a Norma. Who else could do something so destructive?"

"Could've been." Alain shrugged. "I was hoping to stay in town a few days to relax, but maybe I should move on before anything happens."

"I was thinking the same thing." Alain still couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling despite his casual tone. "Though… you look quite young to be travelling on your own. Most boys your age would still be in school this time of year."

"I graduated early." _'Not that he's wrong. I only turned eighteen a couple months ago.' _To Alain's relief the man seemed to buy the excuse.

"Well congratulations then. Enjoy your newfound adulthood." Alain took his leave and didn't look back until he felt the man's gaze was no longer on him. Once he got a fair distance away, he stopped at a corner and turned to make sure he wasn't being followed. Only then did he finally feel safe. _'Something about that guy was just… off-putting. I've seen eyes like that before at Arzenal. The eyes of someone who's past despair…'_

* * *

As evening was starting to fall on Misurugi, Tusk was starting to feel boredom set in as he kept watch for Ange. With Garuda helping him casing most of the locations they estimated Ange to arrive at had taken no effort. _'Seems pretty standard for the Mana Society.' _He thought as his eyes scanned the forested stretch that bordered the main city from the royal grounds. _'Security is light. No sign if the palace is actually setting up a trap yet.' _Then again there wouldn't be a reason to until they knew Ange was in the city. _'And I'm sure she'll make herself known in the loudest way possible.'_

Tusk shifted his position to change his view from the city to the palace grounds. His eyes shifted from the palace grounds to the towering Dawn Pillar, it's massive structure dwarfing everything else around it. Tusk had to wonder where the resources to build it had even come from. It made the imperial palace look tiny by comparison. And he could only wonder what secrets the structure held inside of it. While it was common for security to be light it was _that _structure CROSS had long since pondered a way to get into and investigate. With how important the structure was to the entirety of the Mana nations, they could only guess what lay within it.

"_Tusk, come in." _Chopper signaling the radio drew Tusk from his pondering.

"I read you. You find anything?"

"_Not much here in the city itself. High Roller and Huxian are covering some routes in the suburbs too. Shamrock's keeping his eyes on surveillance too. How're things in the woods?"_

"Boring." Tusk snarked. "Security on the grounds is lax as usual. It's so normal for things here there's really no other way I can think about it _but _a trap waiting to happen."

"_Leaving the door open so the bird can come flying in." _Chopper said. _"I'm positive the police are under orders to bring Ange to the palace if they catch her. You seen the news about the new Emperor? Dude's one _hell _of an egomaniac. I bet he's got a complex about having not been the favorite child."_

"My concern is if this might draw _his _attention." Tusk's comment got Chopper to let out a grumble. "Ange is Villkiss's pilot after all… and who knows where the others are."

"_Speaking of that, how much does the girl even know? Heartbreak said Alain told him some of it but we weren't in on the details about that chat. She at least knows what Libertas is right?"_

"I don't think she does." Chopper audibly balked at Tusk's response. "I'm pretty sure Jill doesn't even know Alain called you guys up to help us out with this. She still doesn't want a thing to do with CROSS. And I doubt she's told Ange about Libertas or what Villkiss really is yet. Alain's told me in Arzenal the people who know about that are pretty limited… just him, Jill, Maggy, Jasmine, and a couple others."

"_Well that's helpful." _Chopper sighed. _"I know some of us were just kids at the time, but even the recruits know what Libertas was. Hell I still remember Farbanti… I don't think any of us from back then can forget. What's Jill even thinking?"_

"I wouldn't know the reasons exactly. Probably because Ange is hard to control?" He could only guess, but Tusk felt like that was the closest idea. Alain had mentioned a few times how controlling Jill had gotten, how much she prioritized making sure things were under her direct command. And Ange wasn't exactly the type for following orders. "Jill probably wants her more compliant… and well, we wouldn't be in this situation if she wasn't."

"_I can kind of understand that. But let's see… Big Boss would probably say something like…" _Chopper then cleared his throat. _"If you don't tell the people what they need to know, how can you ever expect them to trust you as a leader? You need to know when to be gentle as well as when to be firm." _Tusk stifled a chuckle at Chopper imitating Dission's gravelly voice._ "Something like that?"_

"Pretty close I'd say." Chopper gave a hearty laugh. Then Tusk picked up on some music in the background. "Are you listening to that song again?"

"_Yeah. It's a jam, don't knock me for it."_

"It's just I hear it every time you check in."

"_Gotta do something to keep from being bored."_

"Fair enough. Hopefully Alain's having an easier time than us."

* * *

Since the first town had been a bust, Alain opted to move on. The tracker had stopped moving at some point earlier, so he at least had the destination. A smaller town that was more a collection of farm homes. But as if just to make his day more troublesome, rain was starting to come down by the time his Air Runner was streaking past the various farmlands. At least he'd brought a poncho he could throw on to keep the rain off. As Wyvern's ping came, he slowed to a stop as he neared an apple orchard. Along the edge of the road, propped up near a tree, was the motorcycle. Only no sign of Hilda.

"She just had to leave it behind." Alain clicked his tongue. When a siren's blare hit his ears, he jumped back onto the idling Air Runner and swept it behind a row of trees. Thankfully, the rainfall was limiting visibility and the cops were more preoccupied with something else. As two police cars blazed by, Alain's face became a grimace under the hood. "They got called. That mean's Hilda has to be nearby."

Moving the Air Runner back to the road, Alain shot off after cruisers. It didn't take long for him to catch up, turning the Air Runner to a stop. While the rain made it somewhat hard to see, he was able to take stock of the situation quickly. Four officers with night sticks drawn, and a beaten, dazed Hilda at their feet. Alain had to steel himself to keep from immediately pouncing on them. Once the officers noticed Alain's arrival, they immediately shifted their attention to the young man as he dismounted the Air Runner and approached.

"Evening sir." One of the officers said. "Go on about your business. It's nothing for you to worry about." Alain took a shallow breath and unclenching his fist.

"Actually, it is. I'm with the NMB. And that right there is some missing property of ours."

"You mean this thing?" Alain's jaw tightened when one of the officers kicked Hilda like he was making a point. _'If I wasn't trying to keep quiet…' _he swore in his head. "And you _seriously _with the NMB?"

"If you don't believe me then fine. Here's my ID." With a flick of his hand to switch the Mana capacitors on, a window flashed up in front of the officer nearest him. The man looked a little puzzled as he read it over but didn't show any signs of questioning it. _'Good luck though. The guys in Rosenblum do good work when they forge an ID.' _It was a struggle to hide the smirk on his face as the officer let out a sigh.

"He's not kidding." The now exasperated officer said, his three companions glancing at Alain with surprised eyes. "But NMB or not, she's still under out jurisdiction."

"I beg your pardon? I told you she's my assignment. I'm under orders to capture her, so just hand her over and we can go our separate ways."

"It's not that simple." The officer countered. "You may be NMB but it's _our _job to protect the public in this district. This Norma has already vandalized a store in the next town over. Whatever you want with her, you can have what's left after we're done." So that was how it was? Alain looked to the four officers and sighed as he loosened up.

"I wanted to keep this quiet… but I guess now I've gotta get my hands dirty." In a flash of movement, Alain threw off his poncho into one of the cops face. One caught it, only to toss it aside only to see Alain rushing into his face, a fist already pulled back. On reflex he raised a Mana barrier, only for it to shatter on contact as Alain broke through and punched the officer hard enough to explode his nose.

"M-My god… he's… he's a Norma?!" The three remaining officers flinched, and Alain capitalized on their shock, dashing forward to drive his palm into another chin. A third swung his nightstick but Alain weaved around caught the attacker's arm in his own as he crossed it back, snapping the elbow with a wet crack as his knee planted itself in the officer's gut before he could cry out from the pain.

"W-What the hell?!" The remaining officer gasped as he fell back onto the muddy road.

"Relax, I won't kill you." Alain promised. "But I can't have you following me either." Grabbing ahold of the man's collar, Alain wrapped the man into a sleeper hold. The man struggled and wheezed as his airflow was cut off, and when he finally went limp Alain dropped him to the ground. From his pocket, Alain pulled out a series of zip ties and bound up their arms and legs. When they didn't check back in, their colleagues were bound to send backup to look for them, but by the time that happened Alain and Hilda would be safely away.

Dashing over to Hilda, Alain slid his arm under her head and gently lifted her up. Her face was already starting to show the bruises from her beating, and her eyes were glazed over. "Hey!" he said while he snapped his fingers in front of her face, Hilda barely responding beyond a pained groan. _'Guess I can't really blame her.' _Alain sighed before lifting her up in his arms and trudging back to the Air Runner. Hilda was far from what he'd call heavy, but her being limp didn't make her any easier to carry.

"Wyvern, where's the nearest safehouse?" It was awkward to mount the vehicle while keeping Hilda in a settled position, though he somehow managed it by wedging Hilda between his arms. _'This would be way easier if I could get her behind me.'_

"_There is a signal not far from here." _Alain managed to wedge out the terminal so he could slot it into the Runner before pulling up a map of the surrounding area. The marker was at a location further out, in an even more remote location. _"It is within a CROSS held property, so it will work to keep you out of sight."_

"Good enough." Adjusting to make sure Hilda was secure, Alain started the Air Runner and sped off. Fast enough to keep a pace but not enough to mess with the delicate situation he was in. _'Hope Tusk and Garuda are having fun in Misurugi, because this sure as hell isn't.'_

* * *

Ange was quiet as she and Momoka waited in an alley. Once night fell it was as good a time as any to make their move. But Ange had to admit the first welcome she'd gotten had left a sour taste in her mouth. The Iaria sled she and Momoka were on had of course been pilfered from her old school. That had been the plan. She hadn't quite planned to run into one of her former friends, Akiho. In her old life Ange had known her as a kind and well-meaning girl, passionate about what she did and like so many others, admired Ange greatly. But she wasn't at all surprised that when she saw the girl again, she'd proven to be no different than any of the others. Just treating her like some animal to be terrified of, not even hesitating to try and rat her out.

"Lady Angelise, we should go." Momoka's voice pulled Ange out of her thoughts. At least she always had her to rely on. The palace grounds were close and Ange didn't have time to worry about some betrayal she had seen coming. With a nod from Ange, Momoka set her hands on the sled, sending them shooting across the street and into the air. As they hit the height of their arc, Ange's eyes went to the Dawn Pillar. _'That's where all of this started for me. It's absurd I used to think of that thing as hopeful.' _Now, if she could, she'd tear it to the ground.

"Left!" Ange shouted as the sled landed, Momoka veering off as ordered.

"But, are you sure?" Momoka asked as they sped along. "We're getting further away from the palace."

"Don't worry." Ange's eyes narrowed at a sudden flash, gasping as a police barricade appeared right in their path. "An ambush?!" Momoka pulled the sled to a stop, more lights shining down on them from the aircraft overhead. Their Mana engines hadn't even made a sound as they'd come down.

"W-What should we do?" Momoka asked.

"What else?" Ange growled, pulling up one of the rifles slung across her back. "We break right through!" Ange swept the rifle across the police line, forcing the officers to take cover or shield themselves. Momoka veered the sled while Ange kept firing, her shots raking across one of the police cruisers and sending it up into a ball of flames as they shot off into the woods.

But of course, it wasn't long before the cruisers were hot on their tail. Ange reared back and fired at the first one to get close, the bullets bouncing off the Mana barrier cast over its hood. A second rolled up on their side as a window rolled down, the officer within leaning out and gathering Mana around his hands.

"It's a restraint barrier!" Momoka shouted. Ange tried to shoot but the angle was too awkward to hit the target as the officer threw his hands out, created a net that shot forward and snared Momoka. Before Momoka could be pulled off, Ange swiped her hand at the Mana net, shattering it into pieces. _'Never thought I'd say I'm glad to be a Norma.' _She thought as her clip ran dry.

"Thank you!" Momoka said.

"Get me another magazine!" Ange shouted.

"Okay!" Momoka quickly handed Ange one of the spares, which Ange loaded up as one of the cruisers pulled alongside them. This one had an officer leaning out with a net launcher in hand. Of course they'd switch to something manual once it was clear Mana wouldn't work. Lucky for Ange, Momoka was an ace Iaria sledder, and easily dodged the nets. As Ange returned fire, a new flash brought her eyes forward. Now two transports were lowering over them, and in its hold were men in the royal guard uniform. _'They're pulling out all the stops for me, aren't they?' _Ange thought.

"Grenade!" Ange yelled. Once it was in her hand, Ange yanked the pin and lobbed the grenade. It bounced off the undercarriage of one and exploded, the blast flipping the cruiser into the path of the other. Both erupted into a pillar of flames, forcing the others to divert around and allowing them to make some distance just before their target finally appeared. Just ahead, the runoff canal from the castle drained into a ditch, creating a small waterfall. "Right there! Charge right in!"

"Okay!" Momoka looked worried but did as ordered. To the maid's surprise, they shot right through the waterfall and into a dark passage. "Whoa!"

"Now we just keep following the tunnel." Ange said. "This will lead us right to the front of the palace."

"I never knew a passage like this existed!"

"Only royalty knew about it. I used it to sneak out at night."

"Is that so?" Momoka then turned away with a huff. "I was never told about such things." Ange laughed at Momoka's indignant attitude about it. A short while later, the path led to them out onto the reflection pool in the palace gardens. Momoka brought the sled to a halt at the edge as Ange dismounted and took a sweep of the palace. Some of the lights were on but otherwise things were quiet. "The palace. It feels like it's been forever since I was here."

"I know the feeling." Ange nodded. _'Hold on Sylvia, I'm almost there.' _Ange , as they neared the front, another surprise was waiting for them. A tarp suddenly launched into the air, revealing two armored vehicles, a squad of royal guards taking aim at the intruders.

"Damn it!" Ange muttered.

"Big Sister?!" Ange and Momoka gasped as they looked up. More guards were standing along the balcony. And sitting between them in her hover chair was Sylvia. "Big Sister, please help me!"

"Syliva…" Ange said. As the guards got closer, the girl growled and lifted her rifle up. "Let Sylvia go!"

And charged forward, the guards rushing to meet her headlong. Gunfire echoed across the courtyard as Ange fought like a woman possessed, shooting at a distance and clubbing any that got close. One of the guards had gotten ahold of Momoka, and Ange planted a hard kick to his head. And opening appeared and Ange started fanning the parapet, sending guards near the vehicles into a retreat, and then near the balcony. She didn't dare shoot any higher than the wall so she wouldn't hit Sylvia but she succeeded in making the guards holding her prisoner to drop to the ground.

"Sylvia, come on!" Ange shouted, feeling relief wash over her as Sylvia smiled at her.

"Okay." Sylvia's chair lifted over the edge and gently began to float down to the ground. "I knew you'd come, Angelise!"

"You're my sister, of course I would!" Ange couldn't help but smile as she ran towards her dear sister. Even if she'd lost her parents, even if she'd been through over two months of hell, for the first time in ages she felt hope in her that, just _maybe, _she could get a portion of her old life back here and now. "Thank goodness you're okay!"

It never once crossed Ange's mind that the hope she was feeling could so suddenly be torn up. The moment she got near her younger sister, pain flared across her left arm. Sylvia's expression had become a furious glare, the knife in her hands inflicting a superficial wound. Ange's eyes shot wide as she stumbled back, barely registering Momoka running towards her as she gripped her mistress's wounded arm.

"Lady Angelise!" she cried, Ange shuddering in the maid's grip as she stared at her sister.

"Sylvia…"

"Don't call me that!" Sylvia snapped, Ange lurching as the shock hit her again. "You're not my sister! You… you monster!" To hear Syliva of all people say such a thing, Ange shook more as she felt like something in her broke. "Why?! Why were you born? If only you were never born… Father, Mother, Big Brother, and me would have all been happy. If you'd never existed, I would still be able to walk. Mother would have never died! You took it all. You destroyed everything! Bring Mother back! You monster! Monster! I hate you!"

"Lady Syliva…" Momoka murmured, gasping when Ange collapsed to her knees. "Lady Angelise?!" Ange was unresponsive to Momoka's call, her red eyes empty and blank. There wasn't even a hint of resistance as nets were launched at them, too heavy for Momoka to get them free of.

"My my, look at you, looking so pathetic." Slow clapping made them both look up as Julio strode forward with a smug grin. "A fitting end to a fallen princess I would say."

"Julio…" Ange murmured, her brother chuckling in clear sadistic delight.

"Yes, _that's _the look I wanted to see. That dumbfounded expression as you realized everything. It was worth trying to lure you out. Now, let's begin the trial, Angelise. For the crime that is you." Julio's mocking laughter echoed across the grounds as Ange and Momoka were dragged away. _'Why?' _Ange wondered._ "Why would Sylvia betray me too?' _It wasn't the shock of betrayal, but the realization at how _wrong _everything felt. The people, the world… all of it felt _wrong._


	19. Chapter 18: Lost Children

_Rondo in the Endless Sky_

**Chapter 18: Lost Children**

Finally, after a miserable ride that life him and his passenger soaked, Alain finally arrived at the safehouse, a vacation cabin away from civilization. Like the Recta Base it was a property CROSS had gotten their hands on through their various connections. It wasn't much, but it wasn't like a fancy place was high on his priorities. Pulling the Runner under the cabin's outer awning, he was quick to lift Hilda up and get inside. He beelined for the bedroom and set Hilda down onto the bed, a wave of his hand turning the lights on. _'These things are way too useful.' _He thought as he pulled off the Mana gloves and his thoroughly soaked jacket, before pulling out the first aid kit. In case he ever got injured on any of his missions, Maggy had taught him a few things about emergency first aid.

The first thing he checked over was Hilda's bruises. They were swelling but that would be easy enough to take care of with an ice pack. But of even greater concern was the shaking. _'Knew the rain wouldn't help.' _Alain thought, rifling through the aid kit. _'I'll apologize to her when she wakes up… besides not like I haven't seen her naked a hundred times by now.' _Once he got Hilda stripped down and tossed the ruined clothes aside, he hissed at seeing the full extent of her injuries. A few light bruises on her torso, and a darkening shoe-shaped bruise on her right shoulder and ribs. _'She doesn't look like she's having trouble breathing, so I doubt it's broken. Probably cracked though.' _As he probed one a little too hard, Hilda have a wince of pain. "Sorry." He said aloud as he began dabbing salve on the bruises, using bandages and cold packs to keep the swelling down.

"Mama…" the soft whimper from Hilda made Alain stop. "Mama… why?" Alain sighed as he sat on the edge of the bed and covered Hilda in a blanket. His hands tightened when he saw the tears streaming down her face. _'Part of me wonders what happened when she found her mom… the other part of me doesn't know what I'd do if I did.' _Alain knew what kinds of mess Hilda had walked into but he could only image what had actually happened and doing so made his chest flare in anger. As much of a bitch as she could be, Alain didn't think she deserved to be hurt like that. Without realizing it, he took one of her hands in his own, and her shaking slowed to a stop. _'I can find out more when she wakes up. I should sleep too.'_

* * *

Somewhere, the sound of the wind rustling tree branches split through the dark, and Hilda groaned has she felt something warm on her face, the fuzzy darkness in her eyes turning into a dull light as she woke up. She groaned again as she felt a dull throbbing across her body. _'What… where am I now?' _As she slowly sat up, the events of the previous day came flooding back to her. The rejection from her mother, wandering through the rain and being attacked by the police, then feeling like she'd been taken somewhere before she finally lost consciousness. So either was captured and locked in a prison cell or had been shipped back to Arzenal. _'But then why is the bunk so soft?' _she wondered.

"No reason to put if off." She huffed. Once her eyes-or rather, eye, since one of them was covered for some reason-got clear of the morning haze, she looked around and found she was in the last place she thought she'd ever be. It looked like the bedroom of a log cabin. There weren't even bars on the windows like what Arzenal dorms had. "The hell?" She threw off the blanket covering her, yelping when she saw the state she was naked aside from some bandages wrapped around her still throbbing torso, along with those holding a thawed out cold pack over her left eye. "Who…" she wondered as she finally heard the light snoring. Hilda flinched despite the pain, ready to make a move if she had to, but the alertness quickly shifted into confusion when she saw who it was: In one corner of the room, Alain, leaned back against the wall and sound asleep.

Taking the blanket to cover herself, Hilda slowly walked over to him. _'What the hell is going on? First I wake up in a cabin and then I find _him _of all people here?' _As it dawned on her that Alain was the one who'd stripped her, Hilda's face felt like it was on fire. "Hey! Wake up!" she yelled as she reared a leg back and kicked Alain's side. She regretted it just as quickly as the sudden shock made her injured torso sear.

"Oof?!" Alain gasped from the impact and shot too his feet. "Oh, you woke up."

"Don't act all-ow-casual!" Hilda hissed, as Alain tilted his head with an amused smirk. "You have some damn explaining to do! Like why the hell am I naked!"

"I'm pretty sure you know that one." Alain snarked, pointing at her bandaged eye. Hilda huffed and sat back down on the bed, glaring at Alain with the same indignance as before. The blue-haired boy sighed as he pulled up a nearby chair to sit in. "As for everything else, the short of it is that Jill sent me out to get you and Ange after you escaped… well, more accurately _just _to get Ange."

"Figures." Hilda spat.

"And as for this… I took it on myself to find you first." Alain's answer made Hilda balk at him, and he returned the expression by leaning on a hand as his eyes narrowed. "Someone had to. Look… I got friends out here. And they pretty much told me everything.

"And what would you know?!" Hilda snapped, Alain glancing to the side. "This is just… why would you even care to find me huh? I bet you kind of liked seeing those cops beat me if you saw that…"

"If by 'liked' you mean I was pissed off enough to break a few bones then yeah." Alain countered, Hilda glanced at him and _tched _like she didn't believe him. "There's dry clothes in the dresser you can change into. I'm going to see what my pals left in this place in terms of food. There's a shower in the next room over too. We can talk more after you get cleaned up." Hilda didn't response, though she heard him stand up and walk out of the door.

When the door shut, and Alain's footsteps faded away, only then did Hilda get off the bed. There wasn't much in the dresser, but she at least was able to find some underwear, a shirt, and pants that looked like they would fit her. It was when she got into the bathroom she felt thrown for a loop. With the disallowance of private showers in Arzenal, Hilda found a private one absolutely foreign. She was even more surprised at how clean it was, with everything one would need laid out for her. _'Wonder if he has cameras set up in here… not like he and I haven't seen each other naked dozens of times though.' _Hilda had to wonder how she would be reacting to this situation if it were anybody _but _Alain she had woken up to as she hopped into the shower. It was probably ironic she could interact with him so easily, when she was sure if it had not been him, she'd have probably gotten violent.

After a brief shower that got the caked in mud out of her hair, she changed into the outfit she'd picked out, also finding a couple of bands in the bathroom to tie her hair up into her usual twin tails. As she checked herself in the mirror, she had almost expected the bruises on her face to be worse, but whatever treatment Alain had given her kept the swelling from being too bad. Though she still had a bit of a shiner at her left eye from where she had caught a punch.

"Ah come on!" Alain suddenly yelled. _'What now?' _Hilda rolled her eyes as she exited the room while buttoning the shirt up. What she found when she got out to the main living room was Alain grumbling at the kitchen, one eye twitching as he looked at some packages in his hands. "Well this sucks."

"What sucks?" Hilda asked, leaning against the wall.

"These MREs." Alain flashed one of the packages before tossing both onto the counter, kneeling back down to rifle through the opened cupboard. "This place is a safehouse those friends of mine use. Since they're used irregularly, any food they pack in has to be non-perishable. Usually field rations or canned food. These two are the kind that suck."

"Can't be much worse than some of the food Arzenal serves." Hilda commented. "So, just what the hell do you mean by friends? Are you talking about humans or something?"

"Yes and no." That just made Hilda raise a brow. Alain grabbed a few of the packages in the cupboard and set them on the nearby table. "Hmm… roast and potatoes huh? Can't be the worst thing out of all this."

"Could I get an actual answer to my question first?" Hilda demanded, Alain sighed and gestured for her to take a seat as he cut the box open.

"Like I said, it's a yes and no answer. Some of them are. Some of them… aren't."

"And what does _that _mean? Is there some _other _Norma prison besides Arzenal you _somehow _know about?"

"It's less of a prison and more like a hideout." Hilda raised a brow high as Alain got to eating like he'd just said something totally normal for her to hear. "They're called CROSS. For the most part they're what's left of a group that worked with Arzenal over ten years ago. Though for… various reasons, as of late they've been bolstering their numbers with humans."

"Huh?!"

"Not _every _human out there is a total jerk." Alain said, pointing his fork at Hilda. "Some of 'em are like Momoka: They don't give a damn if someone's a Norma or not. I'm talking about people who actually have the brains to look at things around them and realize how bad it really is. Some of them actually want to help Norma."

"You're kidding, right?" Hilda argued, Alain shaking his head. "As if I would believe something like that! All the humans do is toss us Norma away like garbage! There's no way any of them would ever want to help us! Especially not when… dammit…" Hilda's expression broke for a moment. And as she saw Alain had a sympathetic look on his face, she growled. "Don't look at me like that! You don't know anything! Like all those other idiots you have no idea what my life has been like! Getting back here all just so I could…"

"What if I said I could understand?"

"LIKE HELL!" Hilda stormed back into the bedroom in a fury. Alain put a hand to his head as he groaned.

"Never have been the best at this stuff." Feeling his appetite leave him with the newly dour mood, he stood up and went to the couch in the nearby living room. As he sat down, Wyvern's terminal pinged. "What now?"

"_It's a communication from Recta Base." _Wyvern said. _"Should I patch it through?"_

"Put it through. Likely SkyEye checking in."

"_Affirmative."_

"_Hope I'm not interrupting anything." _Alain rolled his eyes at Ray's playful tone. _"Kidding aside now, how's things on your end? You find the girl?"_

"Yeah. Had to patch her up a bit, but she'll be fine after a couple days." Alain answered. "Physically anyway… mentally, that's up in the air. What about Tusk and Garuda?"

"_Well… their situation got a lot more… complex." _That did not reassure Alain in the slightest. _"Like we guessed, Ange was walking right into a trap. Tusk saw it all go down. She left one hell of a mess, but they got her. The news in Misurugi was on fire the other night."_

"That's more than _just _complex." Alain groaned.

"_It's nothing those guys can't handle. Garuda may be a bunch of oddballs but they're one of our best teams for a reason. If there's anybody we can rely on to get it done, it's them. I wouldn't be too worried. For now I'd recommend just taking care of your friend before coming back here."_

"Like I said, we're not exactly friends."

"_Eh who knows, maybe you'll change that. Over and out."_

"Over and out." As he lowered the terminal, Alain looked to the bedroom door. _'This is probably going to be a really dumb idea.' _He thought as he rose and went to the door. "Hilda?" he gave a gentle knock, not getting a reply. "Look, I know you're in a mood but… there's something I wanna tell you."

"Just buzz off." Hilda replied.

"I meant it when I said I can understand how you feel." Alain continued anyway. "Because… because I'd give anything for one more chance to see my parents again too." To his surprise, the knob turned, Hilda peeking out through the small opening.

"I'm listening."

* * *

Tusk had to admit it, it was impressive how quickly people could get worked up for something like an execution. Royal guards were milling about the base of the Dawn Pillar like ants, working hurriedly to construct a gallows. It hadn't been long since the previous night that Ange's capture had been announced across the airwaves by Julio. _'What the hell kind of brother looks so gleeful about putting his own sister to death?' _just the thought of it angered Tusk in a way he hadn't felt in years. It was taking all his restraint not to rush in and save Ange and her maid. And maybe give her brother a good beating while he was at it.

"Man, this is just a mess." High Roller muttered from his perch in a tree next to Tusk, a viewfinder in his hands as he scanned the grounds. "And they just _had _to pick the most heavily guarded place in the entire nation to hold it didn't they?" It didn't help them they were expecting a massive crowd to show up at the event as well. For a people who liked to act so peaceful and civilized, the Mana people were quite bloodthirsty if such a chance presented itself.

"And there isn't a lot of places to get to it from exceptright in the front." Tusk said, bringing his own binoculars around to the three main promenades that extended out from the Dawn Pillar. "I'd like more options, but we don't really have any."

"_At least I can keep cops off our asses by hacking the broadcasts." _Shamrock said. _"If we don't have any choice but to have you four charge head on into the crowd, then all I can do is make sure the rest of the country doesn't see what happens."_

"Yeah but we're talking about something going down at the Dawn Pillar!" High Roller exclaimed. "And I do _not _doubt His Holy Emperor isn't gonna miss out on a front row seat. Misurugi ain't even a religious nation. The hell does he mean by "Holy Empire" anyway?!"

"_His own ego, what else?" _Chopper suggested. Tusk looked off and spotted the team leader at the other end of the plaza. With a faux camera screen floating near his hands, he looked just like another tourist observing the grounds. _"Just wait till they bring the girl out. Then swoop in and grab her once Shamrock knocks out the cameras. Make some noise and then get out while they're scrambling around. Then beeline it back to Recta Base before they can get anything done."_

"_Don't make it sound _that _easy." _Huxian droned. Wherever the fox-faced operator was, they didn't have a clue. Only that he knew where _they _were. _"They may thin out the guards because of civilians, but that'll be within their little event. It's the perimeter around here I'd be concerned with."_

"_And not like we can ask Trigger to come crashing in with the Wyvern. That's just asking to draw attention." _Shamrock added. They all knew Wyvern could easily fly under the radar thanks to its particle drives but calling in a near twenty-meter-tall war machine to crash an event was not what any of them would call wise. It would be just as bad as the mess that ensued during the pursuit Ange caused. _"We should at the least have a couple of days to put a proper plan together. Even at this pace those guys can't finish the set up that quickly."_

"About the plan…" Tusk spoke up. "Jill gave me some… requirements for how she wants me to go about things."

"_This outta be good…" _Huxian sighed.

"She said if I was unable to get Ange before she was captured… to let events play out to the last second before jumping in." Tusk didn't like it at all. And the balking look he got from High Roller matched the noises the others told him they shared his sentiment. "I know, I know… it's insane."

"_More than just insane." _Chopper said. _"That's outright reckless!"_

"I don't like it either." Tusk said. _'Jill, this isn't the way to make Ange listen to you.' _He thought. "But that doesn't mean we _should _do it that way… it all depends on the plan we make, right?"

"_Of anything now that's just more motivation to do it our way." _Shamrock said. _"Boy won't Big Boss have words to say about something like that…"_

"Yeah…" Tusk sighed. While his contact towards Arzenal had been basically nonexistence outside of Alain for years, he knew plenty about how Jill had changed over the years since the first Libertas. There'd been a time, when she still went by the name Alektra, that he would have compared her to Ange. He had even had a bit of a crush on her in his childhood. But from what he'd heard and now seen for himself… she wasn't the same anymore. The Jill of his youth had been rough mannered but kind, and now all that seemed to be left was a woman who desired results by her own terms. No matter what the cost. _'Something else happened to her ten years ago. But what was it?'_

"_Let's head back to the hideout and figure out specifics." _Chopper ordered. _"Shamrock keep your eyes on those news channels. We need to be sure 'His Majesty' isn't going to try and rush things."_

"_Got it." _With Shamrock's confirmation, Tusk and High Roller dropped from their perches and ducked into the trees. _'Ange, I hope you and the maid are alright. Just hold on for a bit, you've got help on the way.'_

* * *

Finding himself with Hilda's attention, Alain had elected to take a seat against the wall before starting his story. Especially since he had to prep himself for what memories this was bound to drag up in him.

"It was… a long time ago, before you arrived at Arzenal." He heard hearing shuffling from the other side and assumed Hilda decided to sit too. "You see, some of us were born there."

"Huh?!"

"I mean it. Not all of us were taken there against our will." Alain expected the shocked reaction from Hilda. By all accounts what he said sounded completely ridiculous. "It has to do with the group that would go on to start CROSS. Why that is… it's a story for another time. Simply put they're the remnants of the Pre-Mana Age, and like the Norma they can't use it. At some point, they found out about Arzenal, back when Jasmine was still the Commander, and they joined up with the place. As you would expect when a large group that's mostly men encounters a place like Arzenal, people tend to get together. My parents were two of them."

"Was it all boys?" Hilda asked.

"Nope. Salia, Naomi, and Chris are just a few." Hilda's gasp said plenty to him. "Like me they were also born at Arzenal. Plenty of others, but you don't know many of them… and some of them died years ago." One of Alain's hands tightened up.

"That… Chris never mentioned anything like that!" Hilda said.

"She doesn't like talking about her parents." Alain said. "It… brings up bad memories. It's not like they were bad people, far from it. Chris just… took it especially hard." Hilda just gave a hum. "As for why something like that happened… See, there was a reason these people joined up with Arzenal. To fight for a place of their own in a world that rejected them. It… didn't go well. Just when they were finally able to act… the place they were building that home up from was destroyed." Alain tensed as those flame filled memories rose up in his mind. "That day… those people were almost annihilated. And many of the Norma who chose to fight with them died as well. As a result, most of us lost our parents. Even ten years later, I can't forget what I saw that day."

"If something like that _is _true…" Hilda said. "Then why are you the only guy on Arzenal?"

"Because I chose to stay behind. The girls didn't really have a choice, obviously. But all the other boys left with the remnants of that first group… I didn't." Alain grasped at his scarf, gripping it tightly while also pulling out the pendant it hid underneath. The blue crystal at the end of the cord glinted in the soft lighting of the room. In the way Ange's ring was a "key" for Villkiss, the pendant was one for Wyvern. "I stayed behind at Arzenal because I felt like there was still something I had to do… I had to get stronger. Strong enough to make sure I wouldn't see that day repeat itself. And because I couldn't leave Arzenal behind. I understood why the others had left… but I couldn't."

"And why's that?" Hilda asked.

"Because my dad was the one who piloted Wyvern before me." Alain's fingers closed on the pendant, Jill's words about him being sworn to the idea of Libertus coming to mind. "The point is I get it. I get wanting to see your parents again. Me, others… some of us would give anything just for the chance to at least talk to them again. I admit I was kind of surprised to find out that's what was driving you for so long… and it's why I'm sorry."

"Don't give me that!" Hilda growled, her voice wavering as if she were about to break down. "You don't know a damn thing! Your parents just died. They didn't betray you or replace you or anything like what I went through!"

"You're right." Alain admitted. "It's not the same, but that doesn't mean the _idea _of it doesn't piss me off. The fact we live in a world where a mother would replace her own daughter fand not even appreciate it when she gets her back… it makes me want to burn the entire damn thing down!" Alain's closed fist slammed into the wall as he bit his lip. On the other side of the door, Hilda buried her face in her hands as the tears finally spilled over.

"I honestly thought if I had gone back, she would have accepted me." Hilda said. "When I was taken away, she tried to make them let me go… I still remember her running after the police car until she fell. It stuck with me so much, I thought that, if I go back, she _has _to accept me… she wouldn't have cried like that if she didn't love me, right?" Alain heard the _thud _of Hilda hitting the wall. "But what else could I expect? I'm a Norma. That's all we deserve in this damn world."

"It doesn't have to be that way." Alain told her.

"Don't give me that!" Hilda snapped. "What's the point of trying to change something you don't have a snowballs chance in hell of changing?! Try to sympathize with me all you want, but you'll never understand me."

"Well… you might be right." He admitted. "But I do think there's someone who would understand."

"What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"I'm talking about Ange." The door creaked open, and to his surprise, Hilda peered out with what could almost be construed as a concerned look.

"What about Ange?"

"Ange made it to Misurugi and walked right into a trap. I'm guessing you know why she ran too. We'd been suspicious about it ever since Momoka arrived. Turns out, Ange's sister only contacted Momoka to draw her out. And now they're going to have her publicly executed."

"What?!" The door yanked open as Hilda shot out and wrenched Alain up by his collar.

"Well that's a reaction. I thought you hated Ange." Hilda shoved Alain back and dashed toward the exit when he suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"Let go!"

"Hold on! What exactly are you planning?"

"To go save Ange! What the hell do you think?!" Hilda snapped. "We're not that far from Misurugi right? If I go now, then maybe I can get there in time."

"Again, surprising." Hilda glared back at Alain. His calm manner coupled with that smirk of his wasn't doing much good for her mood. "Like I said, I thought you hated her."

"I do!" Hilda growled. "But… dammit she's a Norma too! She escaped all so that she could see her family again. And they stabbed her in the back for being a Norma, just like Mama did to me. I'll be damned if I let those human bastards get away with it!" Hilda went from angry to puzzled as she saw Alain's smirk widen to a grin as he began to snicker. "What's so funny huh?!"

"I knew you had a heart buried somewhere in there." Alain said. "But if you honestly think I was going to sit this one out then forget it."

"Huh?!"

"You heard me right. I said stuff like that pisses me right the hell off." Alain let Hilda go and took a step back. "And that's far from the only grievance I've got with them. Besides, Jill's gonna rake me over the coals for getting CROSS involved. I need to minimize the damage by actually doing what she sent me out for too."

"I don't need your help." Hilda told him.

"That's where you're wrong." Hilda glared at him but Alain raised his hand. "Now hear me out. You're about to go rushing into what's likely to be a heavily guarded venue, with no weapons, and while heavily outnumbered. Doesn't it make sense to have someone watching your back like up in the skies?" Hilda had to admit he had a point. "I meant it when I said things don't have to be this way. We just have to give this world a good kick in the ass first. And I can't tell you why, but we kind of need Ange for that. And like you, the thought of letting those people get away with something like that pisses me off. So why don't we do something about it?" Hilda thought it over. As much as she hated to admit it, Alain was right about her chances of managing to pull something off on her own. And for all their spats, she knew from their sorties she could trust him with her life.

"Have you got a plan?"

"Honestly, no." He admitted. "But my friends who're already there likely do." Hilda shot him a doubting look. "I know you don't have any reason to trust those guys. But at least trust me when I say they're good people."

"Even though they're humans?" she asked, getting a nod. "Fine. But if I even _think _they might stab me in the back, they won't live long enough to regret it."

"Fair enough." He said. "I will warn you, they can be kind of an… acquired taste. You'll find out soon enough." Alain extended his hand and Hilda reluctantly accepted it. After they gathered some things up for the road, she followed him out to where his vehicle was parked.

"Doesn't this thing have a sidecar?" she asked as she looked it over while Alain set the supplies into it's storage compartment.

"Just get on already." Alain said as he mounted the Runner. Hilda groaned and gingerly climbed on behind him. Reluctantly she wrapped her arms around his waist, gulping at the feeling of her breasts crushing against is back.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah." She said. "You just… feel different than a girl." Alain looked over his shoulder with a smirk and Hilda fought down the urge to slug him again.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Shut up!" she said with a blush. "Get any ideas and I'll cut it off!"

* * *

As Alain and Hilda were emerging from the cabin to depart for Misurugi, what neither of them could have known was that they weren't as along as they would have liked. As they mounted the Air Runner, the shimmer of a deactivating stealth cloak concealed a figure in the trees. Even if he wasn't invisible, his face would still remain hidden beneath the hood and the sterling silver mask over his face. Adjusting a dial on the mask's side, the visor's scanner zoomed in on his targets.

"As predicted." A flick of his hand opened a Mana window, the communication line ringing softly before it answered. "Master Embryo, I have a new report on the targets."

"_Do tell, Cipher." _The smooth voice that replied came with an amused jilt. _"How have those lost children been?"_

"As presumed, they are headed for Misurugi. It seems this was merely a detour for the boy. If you wish, I could intercept them on the road."

"_Is there any sign of the boy's machine?"_

"None. It is likely he left it somewhere else."

"_Then just continue following them for now. I've been bored for some time now, letting these children run around and make a show should at least prove for some amusement. Keep watch and wait for the machine to emerge. And when you do engage, be sure not to kill any prospective candidates."_

"As for the machine itself?"

"_If it appears then by all means make an attempt to capture it. If that fails… well, at least bring back the ND Drives and the core."_

"Understood." Cipher closed the window. The engine of the Air Runner kicked to life and he turned to see the vehicle drive off, the boy at the controls and the girl holding on behind him. "So, it seems it will repeat… the clash between angels and dragons. Would you perhaps call this fate? Or mere coincidence? I suppose it does not matter… I'll cut him from the skies the way I did his predecessor."


	20. Chapter 19: Dead Ahead

**A/N  
**

**For anyone getting this chapter alert again I reposted the chapter 'cause FFN is being... weird about the update, so I was seeing if it'd work. Dunno if anyone else is having this issue or what, hope it works.**

**Chapter 19: Dead Ahead**

As the countryside whizzed by, Hilda's thoughts were more than a little jumbled. First there was confusion to why she'd snapped out of her depression after hearing the situation Ange had gotten into. It was certainly true she didn't want to let the humans get away with it. But neither could she say she had any real affection for Ange. _'I'm just paying back a debt.' _She decided. _'Ange could have let me fall back at Arzenal, but she didn't.' _

Second had to do with her companion.

For as many times as she'd seen Alain in the shower and onsen, she'd never at all bothered noticing him as she'd found him so irritating. But now that she was in this situation, there wasn't really a way for her to avoid taking stock of him. His surprisingly broad shoulders for his limber frame, the solid feel of his torso as her arms wrapped around it, and her face burned a bit as she remembered being carried by him the other night. _'A girl's chest is softer but… there's something comforting about a boy.'_

"You doing okay back there?" Alain called out over the engine.

"Just fine!" Hilda snapped, hiding her face in his shoulder.

"If you say so." Alain looked down at Wyvern's terminal set into the console. "There's a rest area coming up. I'm gonna pull in and get something to eat."

"Huh?! Why? We don't have time for that!"

"We aren't going to do Ange any good if we fall over from hunger." He argued as a sudden growl emerged from Hilda's stomach. "See what I mean?"

"Fine." Hilda grumbled. As they pulled into the stop, Hilda took stock of their surroundings. Mostly an empty parking lot, a small building with public restrooms rose out of the center with rows of vending machines lining it's front. "At least it's quiet."

"Luckily for us people aren't fond of traveling around that often." Alain said as they dismounted the runner.

"You have any money for those things?" Hilda asked.

"Humans don't need money, remember. Not with the Light of Mana."

"Then how are we going to get anything from the machines?" Alain smirked and pulled on a pair of fingerless gloves. A cord ran out their back and Hilda raised a brow as she watched him slide it up the cuff of his jacket and further into the sleeve.

"Watch this." With a wave of his hand, a green light shined and one of the machines hummed to life.

"What the… how did you?"

"A little present from my friends." He told her. "These gloves are able to absorb a little bit of the Light of Mana. Not much, but enough for people like me and you to blend in and function when we're out and about."

"So, wait." Hilda said. "Are you saying the only reason Humans can use Mana is because of some technology they won't share with the Norma?"

"Not at all." Alain answered. "I don't know how the Light of Mana works. Something about it being absorbed by the nervous system. The humans who work with us have to limit themselves though."

"How?" Alain reached behind his head and pulled aside his ponytail.

"They implant themselves with a chip right about here." He said while tapping a finger at the base of his skull. "It keeps them from being hacked or located. On the downside, it limits the amount of Mana they can draw on, so they have to watch how much they use it to prevent it from being depleted."

"Hacked? By _what?"_

"I… can't tell you that."

"You know…" Hilda grumbled. "it's pretty hard for me to trust you if you don't do the same for me."

"It has nothing to do with trust." Alain countered. "There's just some things I can't tell you because it would be too dangerous for you to know right now. Just be patient and trust that there's going to be a time when I'll tell you."

"Whatever." Hilda sighed as the machine dinged and the heater door opened. Getting a couple bottles of water from another machine, the two of them sat down on one of the benches. "So, tell me, these humans who like Norma, what's their deal?" Alain hummed as he chewed a mouthful and swallowed.

"The thing is, not all Humans fall into the status quo. Some of them had Norma friends or relatives and didn't want them getting targeted. Others took a good hard look at the world and realized something was wrong with it despite all the assurances to the contrary. Then you've got the likes of CROSS, who just want a place of their own."

"Why would anyone even want to live in a world like this huh?" Hilda grumbled, shoveling her mouth full out of annoyance.

"Well it's not really like we have a choice now do we?" Alain sighed. As he was eating, a sudden movement caught his eye and he looked up to see a small black cat padding towards him. It's fur was dirty and scraggly, most likely a stray but it didn't seem afraid of him. Alain tore off a chunk of hamburger from his patty and held it out. After a quick sniff, the cat took it in one gulp before leaping up to nuzzle in his lap. "That's a good girl." He whispered as he scratched the stray's head.

"How do you know it's a girl?" Hilda asked.

"Because she likes me of course."

"Please." Hilda groaned. "It's only acting friendly so it'll get more of your burger."

"Well then why don't you give it a try?" Hilda raised a brow, then tore of a chunk of her own burger.

"Here." The cat looked up at her, then flattened it's ears before jumping off and trotting away.

"See what I mean?" he chuckled as Hilda _tched _in annoyance. "You know, I get you're still in a bad mood after everything that's happened, but you ever think you'd be a lot happier if you dropped the attitude?" Hilda's reply was a sharp jab into his ribs with her elbow. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"For being annoying."

"I'd almost think you were jealous." He joked.

"Of you?"

"Of the cat." For his troubles, Alain felt her heel dig into his shin and he yelped.

"Do you want me to cut it off? Don't mess with me, got it?"

"Alright alright, sheesh!" Alain sighed. After finishing their meal, they remounted the Runner and pulled back onto the road. Hilda kept her eyes on the horizon rolling ahead of them as eyes shifted up to the scattered clouds and then to Alain.

"Hey, mind if I ask something?"

"What?"

"What were your parents like?" Hilda yelped and grabbed Alain tighter when he suddenly swerved. "Will you watch it?!"

"S-Sorry." He apologized. "I just… that's a bit out of nowhere isn't it?"

"Excuse me for wondering." Hilda scoffed. "Besides, I'm bored and it seemed like a good way to pass the time.

"Well okay." He mutered. "I don't remember a lot from back then, I was eight after all. But, my Dad was Wyvern's former pilot and the former Mobius 1."

"Was he like you?"

"Actually, he and I were complete opposites. He looked at everything with a level head and a calm eye and acted in a way people said a Knight should."

"You're definitely the furthest thing from that." Hilda snarked.

"Anyway," Alain continued. "he was someone a lot of people looked up to. Back then…" Alain paused. Jill, or rather, Alektra and Villkiss's real purpose fit into the category of things that were too dangerous for her to know about yet. "Well, I'll just say what he did was important. As for my mom, she was Garm's Captain way back before Zola."

"No kidding?"

"Yeap. Zola, back when she wasn't… y'know Zola… she really looked up to Mom. Kinda like how Salia does to Jill. To be honest I've been told I take after her more than my dad."

"Oh so you being a perv isn't just from being the only thing around with a dick huh?"

"Funny. What I mean is she cared about her wing mates more than anything." A wistful smile came to Alain's face as he spoke. "If there was anyone who'd get utterly pissed at a squad mate being hurt, it was her. Order number one was always "Come back alive" for mom. Nobody was allowed to die as long as she was flying, and she made sure of it."

"What was her call sign?"

"Keeper." Hilda's eyes widened. She'd heard Zola mention someone with that name before. _'I never imagined it could have been this guy's mom. Zola always did talk about her like she was a legend.' _"Their real names were Marcus and Monica. They both have graves back at Arzenal. Everybody who died ten years ago does, even the men."

"If there are then why have I never seen them?"

"They're outside of the main graveyard." Alain replied. "The Inspector we had before Emma let us get away with things because she was sympathetic towards us. But after what happened ten years ago she got pulled from Arzenal. We never found out what happened to her, but I hope she just got expelled from the army and didn't get jailed… or worse. The Inspectors rotated around from there until Emma showed up and made things easy to keep on the low again." Alain's hands tightened on his controls for a moment before relaxing. "I'll say it again: I know our situations are different… but like I said before I understand how you feel. I'd give anything for the chance to talk to them again. And I'd at least want them to know that they didn't die for nothing. And that there's a chance again."

"A chance, huh?" Hilda murmured. "Before things… happened, I thought the same thing. I thought I had the best parents in the world. Papa was at work a lot, but he adored both me and Mama, and she always treated me like the greatest thing she'd ever been given. It's why I wanted to go back, why I _thought _I had a chance… we are different, but… at least you and the others got to have parents who loved you even if you were Norma." Hilda buried her face in Alain's shoulder to hide the tears that were once more welling in her eyes.

"That's why I want to change things." Alain said. "There's one of the kids, Kira, she's a lot like how you were. She was sent to Arzenal a few weeks before Ange arrived. Ersha and I have been trying to get through to her. And while she's started lightening up, she still misses her parents. It's always the same story. And I've seen it happen more than I wish I had. Mothers who have their daughters ripped out of their arms all because they're a Norma. It's disgusting."

"Then I guess helping Ange is a starting place." Hilda said. "I'll ask again, these friends of yours are actually trustworthy?"

"Yes. Odd as hell but trustworthy." Alain assured. "Come to think of it… I'd better call them up so that we're not popping in unannounced. Wyvern?"

"_I will patch a line through once we're near Misurugi."_

"Killer."

* * *

Tusk figured there was a chance of Alain coming to Misurugi. For one he'd had an effective head start on his objective, and he knew his fellow well enough that he doubted Alain would pass up the chance to raise some hell in the Mana world. He'd just wish it hadn't been so sudden and out of the blue.

'_Then again I suppose he's always been this way.' _Tusk sighed as he looked back out over the edge of the suburban district. The rest of Garuda, besides Shamrock of course, were still in the main city doing recon for the upcoming operation. Tusk had been at the hideout with Shamrock when Alain had contacted them, and the sudden news had nearly triggered a stroke in the usually unflappable Shamrock. Especially since now it meant they had to factor in more variables to their plan at literally the last moment. The rest of the team was already on their way back to the hideout, and Tusk could tell it was going to be a mess. _'And he just had to bring the girl with him, didn't he? Well… I guess I'm fine with it if it's someone Alain trusts. Not sure about the others though.' _Tusk panned his gaze back across to the main road when a glint caught his eye. Adjusting his focus, the glint began to sparkle in a binary pattern. A morse code signal meaning _"Keep the door open."_

Tusk ducked down and used the rooftop port to get back inside of the garage, Shamrock shifting to look at him as he slid down the ladder.

"Is the troublemaker here?"

"Yeah." Tusk nodded. Almost as soon as the garage door was opened, Alain's Runner smoothly slid in and came to a stop, and Tusk just as quickly closed the door. The chances of being seen may have been small, but a chance was a chance.

"So, mind if I say something?" Shamrock said as Alain and the Norma with him dismounted the Runner. "What the actual _hell _are you thinking?"

"That I'd add a couple of extra pairs of hands to the job." Alain said, totally unfazed by Shamrock's aggravation.

"If Chopper punches you, I won't be surprised." Shamrock huffed as he turned back to his computer, giving a yelp when a window popped onto it. "And tell your damn AI to stay out of my systems!"

"_I do apologize." _Wyvern countered. _"But as we are limited on time, I believe it would be expedient for me to access what information you have already gathered."_

"How does it even _do that?" _Shamrock mumbled, scratching his head. "Can't you stop the thing?"

"If I could, I would." Alain said as the side door opened, Chopper entering first with High Roller and Huxian behind him. "Hey, Chopper! Long time no-GOUF!" No sooner had Alain started to greet him that Chopper's first went sailing into his gut. Alain let out a pained groan as he hit the ground while clutching the impact zone, Chopper huffing as he folded his arms.

"Hey! The hell do you think you're doing?!" Hilda shouted, attempting to draw the handgun she had taken from the cabin when Huxian raised his first. "Sons of…"

"Don't get the wrong idea girl." Huxian warned. "The idiot knew he had this one coming."

"I kind of did." Alain wheezed.

"Honestly." Chopper sighed as Alain picked himself up off the floor. "Do you ever do anything but plan off the seat of your ass Trigger?"

"More or less no." Alain said with a cheeky grin. "Nice to see you too by the way."

"I just wish the circumstances were better." Chopper said. "Huxian, put the gun down so the girl knows we're friendly, will you?"

"She went for it first." Huxian said despite complying. Alain waved his hand, and Hilda relaxed in turn.

"Good. Now let's go and be civilized about things." Chopper turned to Hilda. "Allow me to introduce ourselves. We're Garuda Team, part of CROSS. I'm the leader, Chopper. The fox-faced one is Huxian, our pal at the computer is Shamrock and… where's High Roller?"

"Hel-lo there!" Right behind Hilda is where he'd gotten to, the red head flinching as she registered his presence. "When we got word Alain was bringing a Norma with him I didn't quite think-GOOPH!" High Roller's leering over Hilda was quickly met by the Norma slugging him in turn, Alain catching the sneaky young man as he stumbled back. "Yowch! Feisty! I like it!"

"Piss off." Hilda spat. "I deal with him enough as it is. I know how men can be."

"I am a bad example to make a standard from." Alain quipped.

"He's right." Everyone but High Roller said in unison.

"… could've at least been a bit less blunt." Alain mumbled, Hilda smirking at his wounded expression.

"Anyway!" Chopper clapped his hands and turned to Tusk. "Wanna introduce yourself?"

"Ah, right." Tusk cleared his throat. "I'm Tusk. I'm not really part of Garuda, though I do have ties to Arzenal. I… actually helped Ange out when she got stranded a few weeks ago."

"Huh?" Hilda's gasp said a lot to Tusk and Alain, the girl quickly regaining her composure. "Hilda. That's what you can call me."

"We… kind of knew that." Chopper admitted, ignoring Hilda's glare. "Anyway, since we _are _short on time, let's talk strategy. Shamrock?"

"If the AI would give me my systems back." Shamrock nodded when the screen returned to normal. Oulling out a device of his own, Shamrock projected a 3D map of the area around the Dawn Pillar, zooming in on the plaza at the front of the structure. "Because the Emperor is an idiot, he's holding the execution publicly in the most open place in the city. We're expecting there to be security at the main entrances into the plaza once the event starts. The forests around the Dawn Pillar's grounds make for good cover so the aim is for us to set up at our posts a few hours ahead of time."

"When exactly are you planning to go in and get Ange?" Hilda asked.

"Well…" Tusk said. "Jill's recommendation was waiting until the last minute, but…"

"Buuuut!" High Roller chimed in. "We don't work that way here. _Our plan _is to act as soon as we can. Pretty much as soon as they bring the girl out… and the maid too I guess. Shamrock'll knock out all their cameras so we can keep the op away from as many eyes as we can."

"_I can assist with that." _Wyvern said, Shamrock glaring as the AI's image appeared on the monitor. _"If I layer my own system key over Shamrock's, I can ensure you will have the time you need to act while the central area is cut off from outside communications as well."_

"I guess we can say that's _one thing _to appreciate about this." Huxian said. "As for how the plan is, it's like this…" he nodded to Shamrock, the hacker adjusting the map to show multiple blips. "Chopper, High Roller, and Tusk will be the ones directly retrieving the targets. Their Runners are already stashed in the woods to ensure a fast getaway. I'll be around here…" the map moved to a spot on the outer portion of the Dawn Pillar. "Once they bring the two out, I'll use flash rounds to give a cover."

"Which is when the three of us move in on our Runners to grab them during the scramble." Chopper continued. "Tusk grabs Ange while High Roller and I go for the other girl. And while the guards are all busy scrambling all over the place, we get out through the woods before being noticed."

"The only possible issue is we're not clear how big the crowd is going to be at the site." Tusk said. "It's expected to be massive though. And we're trying to avoid civilian casualties."

"Considering we're talking about the public execution of the girl who's basically public enemy number one, I'm sure the on-site forces won't be something light either." Alain added, Hilda raising a brow at the serious expression he had. "You guys know what their plan even is? I'm sure His Holy Majesty wants to make a show of it."

"He does." Shamrock said. "Chopper played the part of the eyeing tourist and got the gist of things while they were throwing their fancy execution platform together."

"Aside from broadcasting it, it's two things." Chopper cleared his throat, the group of boys groaning at seeing what was coming. "I do quote the guard: In the name of public punishment, the accused shall be flogged publicly by her Highness First Princess Sylvia Ikaruga Misurugi, and upon conclusion of the punishment, she will then be hanged for the crime of… yeah okay I can't keep the voice going, it's stupid. Basically, she's being executed solely for being a Norma and NOT dying at Arzenal."

"Thank GOD you stopped." Huxian grumbled.

"… what?" Hilda said.

"This is just a thing he does when trying to lighten the mood." Alain groaned. "Anyway, Tusk, you said Jill wanted you to wait. Why?"

"I'm not sure, but… if I had to guess…"

"She wants Ange to see exactly how the people think." Alain concluded, Tusk nodding. "Dammit Jill… there's better ways to go about things than _that."_

"So, wait a second…" Hilda said. "The Commander told this other guy…"

"Tusk."

"Whatever, that he should wait until she's about to be killed just so she can see how these people act?" Hilda looked around as the room went quiet. "What the hell kind of idea is that?! It's already obvious enough! They throw us into Arzenal for crying out loud!"

"Hilda, remember how I said there's things I can't tell you about right now?" Alain said. "This is related to that. Jill's past is… complicated. And when it comes to her orders…"

"Come on!" Hilda snapped. "What is it about these things around Ange that makes you roll over and listen to the Commander like some puppy huh?!"

"I never said I was going to say we should." Alain objected. "I'm with Tusk and Garuda on this. Screw Jill's orders, getting Ange out as soon as we can is for the best."

"Good." Hilda said. "So where do me and Alain fit into your scheme huh?"

"Assuming neither of you are keen to cause a mess…" Chopper looked at Alain, who gave a miserable attempt at whistling like he was innocent. "You can join us on the actual retrieval part of it. Trigger's right on the idea there might be some heavier defense at the grounds than we may be expecting. Hey, Wyvern, outside of their comms is there any way for you to get into say… an armored vehicle or the like? Everything they use runs on Mana, and you can tap into any of those systems, right?"

"_I can." _Wyvern confirmed. _"However, for a closed system like a vehicle I would need to be close to it. I would not be able to disable any vehicles until Alain gets my terminal close to them."_

"So hit them while I have them blinded." Huxian said. "The more of their equipment we can keep locked the better."

"I still wonder how the heck he does it." High Roller said.

"_I have explained the concept behind the quantum computer my functions are founded in before." _Wyvern said. _"And Mana at its core is an information technology. Thus, it is something I can interact with. It is not much more complex than that."_

"But you said _quantum _computer." High Roller replied. "I think that makes it complicated by default."

"Anyway, me and Hilda are on the direct retrieval, got it." Alain confirmed, Chopper giving him a nod. "So then…"

"Hold it!" Hilda cut in. "I want to confirm something real quick: How many of you are humans and how many are the other people who can't use Mana?"

"Is that really important?" Shamrock muttered.

"It is to me." Hilda snapped Shamrock rolling his eyes. "I'm going to be up front and say the only one I trust here is Alain. I don't know any of you, so I don't have any reason to trust you. If you want me to believe we're not going to be stabbed in the back, the least you can do is that much right?"

"Fair point." Chopper nodded. "Well… most of us aren't by the Mana-using definition of it." Chopper turned and showed the base of his skull, the rest of the group following suit. "The only one that is…"

"Would be me." Shamrock lowered his hood and moved his hair aside to show the chip implant on his neck. "Don't ask about my case. I don't feel like talking about inane things like the past a few hours before an op."

"Wasn't going to ask anyway."

"Good enough for you?" Alain hummed.

"Yeah." Hilda nodded. "As long as nobody tries anything smart."

"Relax relax." Chopper said. "We may be an odd bunch, but trust me, we take out jobs seriously."

"So Alain says." Hilda murmured.

* * *

By the time the sun was finally dipping below the horizon, the rescue team had been waiting at their posts in the woods for hours. Alain, Hilda, and Tusk were in Group A, in part because Chopper wanted Tusk to make extra sure Alain wouldn't do anything reckless. With the skies growing darker, Alain and Tusk had their eyes glued to Wyvern's terminal, currently tapped into the news feed around the Dawn Pillar.

"That crowd is huge." Tusk observed. It was a veritable sea of people, enough to fill the plaza right up to the execution platform. "It's going to be difficult to pull this off without collateral damage."

"It's kinda creepy just how many people are showing up for this." Alain said, Tusk giving an agreeing hum.

"Why would you even care?" Hilda grumbled, leaning back against Alain's Runner. "They're all here to watch Ange be executed, so what if a few of them get hurt?"

"It's not that simple." Tusk countered. "Even if I hate what they're doing, I can't just go and drag people who have nothing to do with any of this into it."

"You'd be surprised how many people in CROSS were brought in because of things like this." Alain added. "Most of them can brush it off because they're spoon fed propaganda all their lives. But then there are others who see things like this up front and it suddenly hits them how messed up it all is."

"I can at least agree with that." Hilda sighed. "She's what, barely even 16? Who the hell would think it's alright to condemn a girl that old to death? Then again, most of us were thrown into Arzenal as babies. I probably would have been better off if I had."

"We're not that much older." Alain pointed out. "I'm 18, and you're 17. So is Tusk. We're all basically kids here."

"Like we ever had the chance to _be _kids." Hilda scoffed.

"Why do you think Ersha and I try so hard?" Alain said. "Even if they're stuck in Arzenal the least we can do for those girls is give them _something _resembling a proper childhood until they hit the big 12."

"I'm surprised you don't have any kids of your own considering how you get around." Hilda sighed, Alain's brow cricking. "So, you… Tusk. What's your deal? If you aren't with those CROSS guys then how the heck are you connected to Arzenal and the Commander?"

"That's… complex." Tusk said. _'I'm getting tired of hearing these guys say that.' _she thought. "But to put it simply, it's because of my family ties. My father was called the Knight of Villkiss, and it was his mission to assist the Villkiss Rider. Like Alain with Wyvern, that duty was passed on to me after he died. Except I stayed out for a few years because I didn't really know what to do. And then… well, like some twist of fate or something, Villkiss came crashing back into my life. Along with Ange."

"If you're about to tell me some sappy story about spending a few days in some romantic dream, don't." Hilda ordered.

"Well it wasn't exactly romantic." Tusk mused. "I got beat up a few times and even shot at."

"Sounds like something Ange would do." Alain and Hilda both agreed, Tusk slouching over.

"_It is time!" _All three turned when the newscast suddenly blared. _"The Royal Family is first to arrive. His Holy Emperor Julio the First and Princess Sylvia take the stage to greet the people present to witness this event!" _The three all stared at the terminal as the cameras focused on Julio and Sylvia's entrance. The Emperor waved to the people with a calm smile, looking not in the least bit disturbed by the fact he was there to oversee the execution of his own sister. Alain's gaze focused on the woman who was alongside them. He wasn't sure why, but something about the way she gazed coldly at the crowd seemed somewhat off to him. _'That isn't the look of someone being aloof… that's pure disgust.'_

"That's Ange's brother?" Hilda said. "Can one person look like more of an asshole with just a grin?"

"Maybe one other." Tusk murmured. Hilda could tell there was something behind it but didn't pay it mind.

"_T-There she is!" _The news caster's shout made the three snap to attention. The cameras panned across the ground, a pair of guards coming from within the Dawn Pillar, an unresponsive Ange held between them. Behind, a struggling Momoka was dragged along by another set of guards. _"The Norma who hid among the Royal Family for sixteen years, the false Princess Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi!"_

"Amazing how quickly they can turn on someone not two months ago they adored so much isn't it?" Alain grumbled. "Let's get ready, Huxian's going to fire off the first flash round any second now."

* * *

Huxian had spent his time waiting considering just how much it would be worth it to kill the Emperor during the ensuing chaos. Chopper may have wanted the operation to be as clean as possible, but if they were in a situation where they were making a mess anyway, the team weapons expert had half a mind to just take out someone who more than had it coming. _'But then Big Boss would probably just chew me out again… I still remember the beating the old bastard gave me when I joined up.' _Huxian felt a wry smirk creep across his face.

He pressed his eye back to the scope of his rifle, scanning across the crowd as the royal procession appeared. _'The size of the crowd is definitely an issue though. As much as I want to take a shot, doing something like that in front of such a massive crowd is asking for trouble. I prefer quiet take downs anyway. Next time then.' _Setting the rifle aside and lowering a dimmed visor, Huxian picked up a single round grenade launcher, already loaded with the first flash round. His eyes stayed locked on the procession as he lowered the sounds of the broadcast in his earpiece. Once Shamrock cut the feed, he would fire, and his job would be done until they made their escape.

"3… 2…" The vulpine man's smirk came back as the broadcast finally cut. "1!" With a satisfying _shoop, _the round flew from the launcher, a blinding ball of light burst overhead. Even from his perch, Huxian could hear the people shriek and holler as a sudden panic took over. "Now get to work you assholes."

* * *

The moment the flash round went off, all four Runners shot off. Right over the panicked crowd and sweeping towards the execution platform. As Alain and Hilda's Runner got close, the armored vehicles that they had expected sparked for a second before falling silent.

"Heads up!" High Roller yelled as he, Chopper, and Tusk leapt from their Runners. As they fell, High Roller spun in the air, tossing a pair of smoke grenades from his belt at the few guards not distracted by the flash overhead. Chopper and Tusk both came down on the guards restraining Ange and Momoka, taking the disoriented men down with swift blows.

"Tusk?!" Ange cried, her dim eyes flickering to life. "What's going on?!"

"I'll have more time to explain later." Tusk said as he cut her restraints. "Chopper, High Roller!"

"We're good here!" Chopper called, Momoka shaking her arms now that she was free of the Mana restraints. "You alright little miss?"

"Perfectly, thank you. But… who are all of you?" The maid asked.

"We can explain that later!" Alain called out, Ange looking up towards his descending Runner, her eyes widening when she spotted Hilda.

"Hey there!" Hilda called. "You look like hell!"

"You're not looking much better!" Ange snarked, but there was a pleased smile on her face.

"Hey I know ya'll wanna have a happy reunion, but can we do it later!" High Roller yelled, already running off the platform and back to his waiting Runner.

"High Roller's right, let's go! Ms. Maid, you're riding with me." As Chopper mounted his own Runner, Momoka spared a doubting look to Ange, who nodded in consent.

"You're telling me everything once we're out of here." Ange said, poking Tusk in the chest as they jumped onto the remaining Runner.

"Ngh… Angelise, don't think you'll get away!" a familiar voice screamed over the chaos. She spared a look back, and her brother Julio was standing at the forefront of the gallows that would now go to waste. "Do you think I'll let you get away easily?! I'll hunt you to the ends of the earth wand when I find you…!" a crack echoed through the air as Julio fell shrieking to the ground. Blood gushed from the freshly made hole in his cheek and splashed onto the shocked Sylvia, the young girl's own shriek piercing the air.

"Talk about a sore loser." Hilda scoffed as she holstered her gun. She glared at Alain when she saw the stilted look on his face. "What?!"

"Nothing. Let's go!" Alain said as he led the charge along their escape route.

"Wait." Ange tugged Tusk's sleeve as they started to pull away. "I have some last words."

"Is now the time?"

"Yes." Tusk tilted his head in defeat. "Brother, Sylvia… I did honestly love both of you. But, if me being a Norma is enough to ruin our lives as siblings… I suppose that's fine by me."

"Don't act like we were ever really siblings!" Sylvia shrieked. "I hate you! I hate you I hate you! If you had never been born we would never have come to this!"

"My face! My face! The damn Norma shot my face!" Julio's pitiful screaming brought Ange to look at her siblings with a saddened expression. _'This is the kind of world I used to believe in huh? Garbage… it's nothing but garbage. They're all terrible people no matter how they act.' _She thought.

"Thanks… for letting me see how humans really are. Tusk, let's go." Tusk nodded and pulled the Runner around, cutting through the remaining smoke. Ange spared one last look back at the Dawn Pillar as the Runners gathered up and descended into the woods. _'If I ever return to this place again…' _she vowed,_ "I'm destroying it.'_

* * *

**A/N**

**I have not made an AN on this fic in a long while and boy does it feel a bit overdue. First off, HUGE thanks to Erich Michael Kline for beta reading all of this for me, I'm sure you put up with a lot from me so know I'm always grateful. And I'm planning that after the next chapter, basically the end of this particular arc, to make an extra chapter with some particular notes I'd have put into ANs if I'd bothered to do them before. Things like Mecha details, perhaps VA choices (Japanese and English), and maybe a note of the various references I use. Because there's a lot, as I am aware some of you have noticed.**


	21. Chapter 20: Nightmare's Return

**Chapter 20: Nightmare's Return**

By the time the sun was starting to rise over the mountains, Misurugi was _far _behind the rescue team. The plan was to beeline right back to Recta Base before returning to Arzenal, though along the way they had chosen to stop at the nearest supply point CROSS had marked on the road, a long-abandoned farm. Ange was finally able to change out of her prisoner's rags and into some proper clothing, though with the break she was more intent on getting some answers out of Tusk and his friends.

"Alright, since we're all taking a moment…" she said as she returned. "Just what in the _hell _is going on here? Tusk, who _are _these people? Hilda, you're with me too right?"

"Alain pretty much gave me the rundown on the way." Hilda replied. "What little he did at least."

"Hey, I told you enough didn't I?" Alain countered.

"What the heck happened between you two these past couple of days?" Ange wondered.

"Nothing." Hilda and Alain said. The looks the rest of the group gave them all carried a general "sure" feeling.

"Well…" the one called Chopper spoke up. "it's a long story. We're part of a group called CROSS. Think of it as a coalition of the world's outcasts. The people who can't use Mana, Norma, and those who see the world for what it is."

"People who can't…" Ange looked to Tusk as she repeated the phrase. "Come to think of it Tusk, you never _did _tell me just who you are. Is he saying you can't use Mana?"

"The only one here who can do that would be Shamrock." Tusk explained. "The rest of us, including Alain… we're what you would call Ancient Humans. We're the leftovers from before the Age of Mana. Though, me and Alain had Norma mothers, so we're kind of like them."

"It's why me and Tusk can break Mana like Norma can." Alain said. "The rest of these guys can't. I dunno how on earth it works though."

"Mana Humans have a specific gene code that lets them use Mana." Shamrock said, moving his hand to his implant. "Me and the maid have a specific trait in our nervous system that attunes to Mana. They call them receptors. Basically, like nodes on an electrical board. Our medical experts have put a lot of study into it all. Norma can break Mana because the gene that ordinarily controls it is inverted. Rather than draw it in, your receptors cancel it out."

"And just what are the odds of a girl being born with that particular trait anyway?" Hilda asked.

"The egg heads estimate it's about…" High Roller put a finger to his forehead. "I think one in every fifty births. But it is also possible the inverted gene doesn't kick in until some time after. It's why some Norma aren't found until years later since kids aren't really expected to use Mana all the time."

'_Well that explains a lot.' _Hilda thought. She never at all remembered times as a child when she ever thought about needing to use Mana. It was always her parents or other adults who would do such things.

"And my parents kept it hidden because I had Momoka with me." Ange murmured, glancing to her maid. "My brother probably only found out because he checked the royal archive behind Father's back."

"I'd imagine that kind of information would have been shoved into the most secure servers they had." Huxian stated. "It's also likely the medical staff who worked for the royal family at the time were sworn to keep their mouths shut… or executed."

"My parents _were not _the kind of people who would do such a thing!" Ange snapped, getting in Huxian's face.

"And yet they perpetuated the cycle of sending Norma off to Arzenal, only sparing you because you were their daughter." Huxian countered, Ange flinching.

"Come on, let's not get nasty about things." Tusk said, gently grabbing Ange by the wrist. "Also, I think you might want this back." Ange looked down as Tusk pressed something to her palm, relief washing across her face when she saw it was her mother's ring. "Your brother had it on him. I was able to grab it when it went flying out of his hand after your friend shot him."

"Thank you." Ange said as she slid the ring back onto her finger, the new mood around the two drawing stares from the rest. Alain in particular had a smug smirk on his face.

"Get a room!" High Roller sulked, getting punched in the side by Chopper. "OW!"

"Lady Angelise, might I ask who this young man is exactly?" Momoka said. "You two seem rather close." Most of Garuda looked quite keen to hear it as well, save for Huxian who busied himself with fun maintenance.

"We have a… special relationship." Tusk sheepishly said, Chopper and Shamrock grabbing High Roller before he could speak up again.

"Shut up!" Ange yelled, punching Tusk's shoulder to the amusement of the others.

"Of course! Otherwise he wouldn't risk his life to come help you!" Momoka went from happy to teary eyed. "At last spring time has come even for my tomboyish Lady Angelise."

"_Please _keep layering it on Momoka. I am _loving _seeing those two squirm." Alain snickered, Hilda turning away to hide her own failing attempts not to laugh.

"You shut it! And Momoka, it isn't like that!" Despite her objection Ange's face was flushed, though it was likely also from anger as she glared at the other snickering boys. "Anyway! Just what the heck is with all of this? An organization made of Mana users and humans like Norma? What is all this? What _are _you people?"

"Tusk?" Alain said.

"I guess… I'm what you'd call a Knight of Villkiss." Tusk explained. "It's my job to assist the Villkiss Rider in whatever way I can. I showed up to Misurugi because I had orders from Jill not to let you die. It'll be easier if you ask Jill for the details about everything."

"So then what about you?" Ange turned to Alain. "If you're only half Norma then why are you on Arzenal? Are you some kind of Knight yourself?"

"I suppose that's one way to put it." Alain said. "The specific title for me would be the Wyvern Knight. See, my partner has a long history with the Ancient Humans, from _way _before CROSS even existed… before the Ancient Humans had even found Villkiss in fact. I guess you could say piloting it is my sworn duty, like protecting you is for Tusk. I stayed at Arzenal for that reason… but also for more personal ones." The glance Alain spared to Hilda, followed by the girl looking away, got Ange to raise a brow. When they had the time, she was thinking of asking Hilda what had happened. The usual animosity between them had vanished into thin air and she was curious why.

"I'm guessing you don't know anything either." Ange sighed.

"I tried." Hilda said. "But all I got was some vague stuff about it 'not being the right time' and 'being too dangerous to know.' I now _also _hate the word complex." Hilda's impersonation of Alain's tone got snickers from Garuda Team.

"Once you know the full story hopefully more of this will make sense." Chopper assured. "Anyway, we should keep moving. If we keep hurry, we should make it back to Recta base within a day. From there, once Trigger's loaded up the Wyvern, we'll have you girls ride with Tusk in a transport trailer we can hook up to one of the Runners. We'll also escort you back to Arzenal, just in case the Emperor decides to come chasing after us."

"I doubt we'll have anything to worry about." Ange said. "My brother isn't likely to do anything immediately. Probably going to be too busy nursing his pride as much as his face. Hope he gets a nasty as hell scar."

"You're welcome for that." Hilda snickered.

* * *

The pandemonium that had descended on Misurugi since the previous night had left the city in quite a state. Since the rest of the nation had been cut off from seeing what actually went down, it was only the panicked eyewitness reports that were able to come to the news, much less the news about the Emperor's injury and now likely fractured mental state.

Cipher found it all a bother. The pettiness of Julio's actions most of all. The sheer elaborateness of leaking information to Ange's personal maid to draw her to Arzenal. Then having the younger sister send a faux distress call to draw her back to Misurugi. And all because Julio had grown annoyed at not seeing his sister's name appear on the casualty reports from Arzenal over the past two months. The masked man found it so childishly petty that if he'd been allowed to perhaps he'd have given the boy a scar himself.

But for now he had more pressing matters to attend to. Now that the girl had been swept away by his main target and their allies, all he had to do now was resume his chase and wait for the appearance of _that _machine. The girl, her ring, and the Villkiss were currently out of their reach, but Master Embryo was keen not to miss a chance to get something else he desired.

The elevator Cipher was descending deep into the Dawn Pillar finally came to a halt, and he entered a massive hangar bay, striding past several sealed bulkheads. Each one was marked with a particular color and emblem, denoting what lay behind it. However, one of the bays was open, empty for years since it's original tenant had been stolen. Cipher stopped at one final bay at the far end of the hangar. It lacked the colored markings of the others and even an emblem, instead only a word: Enforcer. Cipher entered a code into the pad near the bulkhead, the machinery hissing as it opened, old air streaming from the bay as a cool mist.

"It has been ten years since you last flew." Cipher spoke, looking upwards as the bay began to light up, revealing the machine within. Standing taller than the usual Para-mail, its armor was a deep crimson highlighted by traces of black. The flares of its armor lent it the appearance of a demonic knight, rather than a gallant slayer of dragons. Its head was marked by a single blade antenna, the angular visor even without light looking like a glare. "So, Siegfried, shall we hunt a Wyvern again?"

As if in reply, the machine's visor lit up.

* * *

The stop at Recta Base had not been a long one. There was no particular rush for the group when it came to returning to Arzenal but acting quickly remained in their best interest. Alain had at least managed to avoid having Ray lecture him about his impulsive decision to join Garuda Team's operation. He was also glad to be back in Wyvern's cockpit. At the time, he was coasting above the open ocean, the Runners of Tusk and Garuda team trailing behind just over the surf. Tusk's unit had been fitted with a trailer that locked between its thrusters, which was at least roomy enough to allow its occupants to not be cramped while Tusk drove. The Runners themselves could be quite fast when put to full throttle, enough they would be at Arzenal within the next few hours if there was no interruption. And yet Alain could not shake the anxious feeling in the back of his head.

"Wyvern, is it just me or does something about this almost feel like it was too easy? It's just weird… I should be raring to get back home and wrap this up. But I feel like something's about to happen."

"_Perhaps it's just a feeling of anxiousness." _Wyvern said. _"Are you worried about how the Commander will react if she finds out you got CROSS to assist you and Tusk?"_

"Hardly. I know damn well Jill's gonna find out and probably lay my ass out." Alain bitterly replied. "It's… something else. It's the kind of anxious I get before something comes out of nowhere. Heck, there's that other thing that's been nagging at me for a while too." He wasn't sure why, but his mind went back to that man he had met while searching for Hilda. It still puzzled him just what it had been that made him feel so uneasy. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen people at Arzenal with those kind of unnerving, dark eyes… yet something had been entirely different about that man by comparison. "Man, I just don't get it. I can stare a Galleon in the face without flinching, but some random guy makes me shake? The hell is wrong with me?"

"_Perhaps sometimes it is that a human foe is more terrifying than an animalistic one."_

"If only that were as true as some think it is." Alain mumbled. There was a meaning behind that phrase. One he hoped the person who made him think of it wouldn't have to find out for some time yet.

"_Hey Trigger, how's the radar looking?" _Chopper's regular input felt welcome to Alain's wandering mind.

"Long range scan is good. Nothing followed us out this far." Alain said. "We're well past the exclusion line too, so as far as it goes it should be a clean go back to Arzenal."

"_That's just so dang boring though!" _High Roller complained. _"A part of me kinda wants _something _to show up!"_

"_Like what, a Singularity?" _Huxian bit. _"I doubt a swarm of DRAGONs dropping on our heads when all we've got is one Para-mail backing us would make for a fun time."_

"Hey!" Alain barked. "For the record, that 'one Para-mail' is one of the best ones in Arzenal _and _has it's best pilot in the cockpit! I can handle them on my own just fine."

"_Can you idiots not jinx us?" _Shamrock said. _"Keep that up and you'll make something worse than a DRAGON appear."_

"_I think that won't help not do the same." _Tusk added. Alain chuckled as the casual conversing made the uneasy feeling ebb away. Not fully, but enough to get him feeling relaxed again. _'Well, even if it was kind of easy, I don't mind that every now and again.' _He thought. _'But…'_

Wyvern's sudden alert snapped him back to attention. Alain pulled his throttle hard, bringing Wyvern into a roll while switching to Assault Mode as a bright yellow beam split the air where he would have been had he not reacted

"The hell?!" Alain gasped. His radar hadn't detected anything, the shot only registering thanks to Wyvern's danger warning. And with the sudden attack, the Runners below came to a quick stop as well.

"_Trigger, what the hell was that?!" _Chopper shouted. _"Were we being followed out of range?!"_

"_What could have taken a shot like that?!" _Huxian shouted.

"_The fact it was a beam weapon tells me it could not have been a DRAGON." _Wyvern said. _"Yet its energy signature was… familiar. I know the weapon that fires those kinds of beams."_

"You know it?"

"_Hey?! What the hell is going on out there?! Why did we stop?!" _Ange shouted, her face appearing in the comms window. _"Did something shoot at us or something?"_

"_Alain?" _Hilda called.

"Trying to find that out!" Alain replied. That bad feeling was creeping back up as he scanned the horizon. And then Wyvern's radar finally pinged as something came into range. Another beam came arcing towards him, Alain dodging past it and returning fire with his own beam rifle. Whatever was coming in, it was closing the distance fast, the unknown enemy dodging his volley with quick movements. The speed with which it was approaching was staggering, faster than anything but a Sloop Class DRAGON… meaning it had to be a Para-mail.

Then he saw a flash of crimson. The enemy shot past him and upwards, chaning forms before coming back down, Alain barely able to make it out due to the glare of the sun. As he made out the machine drawing something from its shield, he responded by deploying a beam saber, narrowly deflecting some kind of energy hatchet from taking Wyvern's head. And as the beam blades sparked against each other, now that he could finally see what had attacked, Alain felt his blood freeze.

"Crimson armor… like a demonic knight…" Alain's jaw tightened as his knuckles went white on his controls. The thing he couldn't forget, what he _wouldn't _forget. It was right there in front of him now. "You… it's you!"

Alain broke the blade lock and swung wildly, the crimson machine shifting backwards and flitting away, Alain firing as he gave chase. And over the comm lines, the rest heard the furious roar that ripped from Alain's throat as he went after the crimson machine.

"What the… what the hell is that thing?!" Ange gasped. "Hey, all of you, what's going on?!"

"It can't…" Tusk muttered. "That machine… it's the same one."

"The Crimson Nightmare of Farbanti." Chopper shuddered, the tense or outright fearful looks from the others driving it in for the three girls that whatever it was, it was _anything _but good. "Change of plans! We can't let that thing follow us to Arzenal, so we're rerouting to the nearest island! We're going _now! _Trigger, don't waste time fighting that bastard!"

"Like hell!" Alain snapped, Chopper flinching when he saw the furious, downright insane expression on Alain's face. "Ten years… I've waited ten years for this chance! Like hell I'm letting it get away from me! I'm ripping it from the sky right here and now!"

"Trigger stand down!" Chopper ordered, but as the dog fight continued, it became clear he wasn't going to get through to the enraged Alain. "Dammit!"

"Alain it's way too dangerous!" Tusk shouted. "We have to run!"

"Back off!" Alain shouted, growling when his saber missed, rolling past a shot from his foe and firing back, the beams dispersing against the shield as it rushed forward, Alain narrowly dodging the resulting slash from the beam axe. Then something else flipped out from under the shield, another beam axe bursting into form, Alain yelling as Wyvern was grazed from the surprise deployment, then being caught when the enemy planted a foot to Wyvern's torso in a hard kick, sending the machine spiraling down.

"_Alain, I advise we do as Chopper requested and flee." _Wyvern advised as Alain righted the machine, blasting over the water and back into the engagement.

"Shut up and just give me everything you've got!" Alain snapped. "Like hell I'm running away… like hell I'm letting that thing stay in the skies! Not when it's right in front of me!" Alain growled as his rifle finally overheated from the continued use. He stowed it away and raised his shield, the ports opening and every missile loaded into it being let loose. The enemy flew back as the missiles chased him, weaving around most of the barrage with ease, and with a raise of its rifle, a single beam cut through the rest, filling the air with balls of fire. "BASTAAARD!"

"Chopper there's no point in us sticking around!" Huxian yelled as he brought his Runner around while Alain resumed his furious pursuit. "Trigger's clearly lost it! Let's run now and send out a signal. If the idiot makes it through, he just has to follow it."

"I trust the AI to do that more at this point." Shamrock said. "I agree with Huxian. If we stick around who knows what we'll be caught up in?!"

"This is the _last _thing I'd bet on happening!" High Roller yelled. "Let's split now and worry later!"

"Are you sons of bitches serious?!" Hilda screamed. "You'd run and just leave him because you're busy soiling yourselves?!"

"If you knew what we did you'd agree!" Chopper snapped. "Alain's being a damned idiot fighting that nightmare! I'm not risking the safety of us or our charges because _he _wants to let revenge get the better of him! We're going _now!"_

As the Runners shot off in a new direction, the aerial clash found a stall as Alain's sabers locked against the enemy's beam axe. The head of the crimson machine angled as it followed the path of the Runners but resumed focus on Wyvern as Alain tried to push back against it.

"Well now that they're gone this can go the way I want it." Alain flinched as a voice cracked over his line. _'I know that voice…' _but he didn't get the time to think it over before the blade lock was broken and he was kicked away again. "What's wrong boy? You were screaming about ripping me from the skies yet you haven't landed a single hit… well… at least I can say you've fared better than your predecessor did."

"You… FUCKING BASTARD!" Alain roared as he charged back in, the air screaming with the sounds of the colliding beam edges. "Don't you dare! My father, mother… everyone who died because of you! You're dead!" The weapon lock broke again, his enemy shifting back and changing to Flight Mode. As he shot off, Alain did the same and pursued. He didn't care which way it was going. "Like you're getting away!"

The chase became a swirl through the air as Alain and the "Nightmare" danced around the clouds. While the other machine was larger it was no less nimble, rolling and pitching tightly as he dodged past the beam shots. But Alain kept up with all its moves, refusing to let it leave his sight even when he had to reset his lock. When it pitched up and rolled over behind him, Alain responded by lifting his machine's nose and letting it shoot past him. He only remembered he had fired every missile he had when he didn't get a response after locking back on.

"Your rashness is coming back to bite you it seems!" The pilot said as his machine darted back around, the two machines changing modes again and crashing their melee weapons together. "Fighting with only rage… do you honestly believe that will let you win?"

"Against you?! Rage is the only thing I need!" Alain screamed, forcing the enemy back again. "Wyvern, the ARISE mode, use it!"

"_I cannot."_

"WHAT?! Why-gagh?!" Alain yelled as he was slammed, growling when he saw the damage warnings appearing across Wyvern's monitors, one of the arms sparking from the shoulder ram he'd taken. "Why can't you?! Use it so we can shoot him down! Do what I tell you dammit!"

"_I cannot because I do not agree with why you wish to use it." _Wyvern said, Alain staring at the console with confusion mixing into his blinding anger. _"I cannot allow access to it so long as you remain in this unstable state."_

"Just do it you stupid machine!" Alain growled when he was kicked again, glaring at the enemy as he settled again.

"Hmm… the reports Master Embryo shared with me before now implied that machine can do much more than this." The pilot said, sounding almost bored. "Your skills are above average; I will admit that. But what good is piloting that machine if you are unable to draw out its true powers? It's like using a Ragna-mail and being unable to use the Archangel System."

"Embryo… so you do work for him!" Alain snarled.

"Call it more of a mutually beneficial relationship." The pilot replied. "But I'm bored of playing around with an angry child like you. I will now proceed with the retrieval of my objective… Siegfried… Fafnir System is unlocked."

The Siegfried's frame shifted as it paused. Lines appeared across it that took on an emerald glow, the glow of its optic sensors changing to match it. With a roar of the engines, it shot off even faster than before. Alain's eyes darted around as he tried to keep a bead on it, but the sudden increase in speed meant his target kept flickering in and out of view.

"_Behind." _Wyvern called, Alain whipping around. The beam saber flew back as the Siegfried charged him, but instead of a hit, the machine cut a turn so sharp Alain almost felt the whiplash from it.

"What the heck is going on?!" Alain yelled, drawing his rifle, gritting his teeth as he failed to get a bead as his target zipped around in irregular patterns. "How the hell can he move like that?!" Alain decided he didn't have the time to worry about it. The blade of his beam saber dissipated, and he slammed the pylon into the rifle, dodging a burst of beam shots as its rails extended and it began charging. "A point… I just need to catch a point when he slows down!"

"_Alain, I do not advise using the Wave Burst mode. This foe is too quick."_

"Well a _certain someone _won't let me use ARISE mode, so I don't have many options!" Alain yelled. Even if he could barely follow his target, much less avoid being hit – not helped by a suspicion his enemy was avoiding direct blows for some reason – he wasn't going to let up. "Come on… you have to lag at some point bastard!" And as the rifle's charge finished, a crazed smirk split his face as Alain caught what _seemed _like the opening he was waiting for. "NOW YOU DIE!" The clouds in the air split as the rifle was fired. And Alain's manic expression died away as in the moment it seemed the beam would connect, the Siegfried darted to the side, a Mana coating around it's shield holding the beam at bay as it rushed down along it, right for Wyvern with a beam axe drawn. In the moment the gap nearly closed, Alain felt his blood run cold again… but not from a sudden, ebbing rage. _'I'm going to die here… aren't I?!' _he thought, pulling back on his controls as hard as he could as a panic suddenly gripped him.

But the moment didn't come.

Right as the beam axe was within range to cut Wyvern in two, it stopped. The air around Alain felt like it froze as the weapon disengaged and the remains of the Wave Pulse beam died away. _'Why did he stop?' _he thought. In the pause there was, Alain finally noticed the shudders moving through him, looking down to one of his hands to see it shaking like a leaf.

"It seems there has been a change of plans." The mysterious pilot said. Whoever the pilot was, his face was hidden by a sterling silver mask, framed by a mane of ashen blonde hair. And even through the image, Alain felt like a cold, piercing gaze was on him. "Circumstances have demanded we stop this… _fight." _the word stressed like it barely described what happened. "Next time we clash… I hope you'll make defeating you more interesting."

Alain didn't have a reply as the comm image vanished, the Siegfried shifting back to flight mode as the Mana glow around it vanished, and it shot off into the distance. Alain didn't move a bit as he watched it vanish over the horizon, clutching his shaking wrist.

"_Alain…" _Wyvern said. _"I will assume control. The signal Garuda Team sent is nearby. We will be there in a few minutes." _Alain didn't reply as Wyvern took control of itself, changing modes and flying off in the direction of Garuda's beacon. The Para-mail was damaged, and the AI could tell that its pilot wasn't faring much better. It at least had the sense to ensure Alain's safety from here. _"I do hope you will be alright… please."_

* * *

The nearest island Garuda team had been able to find was suitable enough. Not too large by far but enough that there was a good degree of foliage to use as cover in case they were chased. Tusk had taken up the perimeter as they waited, watching for any sign of Wyvern or the red unit. He hoped the latter wouldn't become a thing they would have to confront.

"See anything?" High Roller approached from the scattering of the Runners.

"Nothing so far." Tusk said, pulling up his viewfinder. "Come on… no way Alain would go down that easy."

"Maybe… but we're talking about the damn Nightmare here." High Roller grumbled. "That _monster _is the reason we lost Farbanti."

"Yeah…" Tusk didn't like the memory any more than anyone who had survived that disaster. _'If that thing came out… then it means Embryo must be at least a bit aware of what's going on. And there's no way Ange's brother is going to be quiet about things after she escaped.' _He could only see _something _big coming in the future.

Finally, a silhouette appeared in the distance and Tusk felt a wave of relief as he zoomed in and confirmed it was the Wyvern. The damage wasn't anything serious, but it had definitely been a rough fight.

"It's Wyvern! Alain got away!" Tusk called out, everyone rushing out to the beach as Wyvern set down. It was a quiet moment as its hatch opened and when Alain exited, it was clear _immediately _something was wrong. There wasn't some cocky exclamation he'd driven the Siegfried off, no wry comment about the fight being a bit tough. He just looked completely out of it.

"What in the _hell _were you thinking back there?!" Chopper yelled, grabbing Alain by the shoulders, seeming to not have noticed the difference in his flare of worried anger. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" And then he finally noticed it. Alain's expression was cast down, and the look in his eyes was flat and near lifeless. "Hey… what happened back there?"

"What does it matter?" Alain muttered. "He's gone. That's all." Alain shouldered past Chopper and walked into the woods. The others watched him go, and High Roller let out a hiss.

"That is not the look of someone in a good place." He noted.

"… what the hell?" Hilda said. "That is… what?! Will someone explain what's going on?! He doesn't _do that! _He's… Alain's a wise ass, cocky bastard! He _does not _go wild either! What the hell happened back there?"

"I'd like to know that too." Ange said. "That was just weird. What the heck was it about that Para-mail that got all of you so riled up to just run?"

"Well…" Tusk looked around to Chopper and the others, the leader of the team nodding. "It's kind of a long story. It's the one I want Jill to tell you. But, to keep it short, that Para-mail is called the Siegfried. And it's the reason CROSS is in the state it's in now. Ten years ago, there _was _a place the Ancient Humans were making a home out of. We called it Farbanti. And that thing is the reason why now it's water swamped ruins. And… for Alain, it's a lot more personal. That machine is what killed his parents during the siege."

"Oh my…" Momoka gasped.

"It was what…" Hilda's eyes widened as she remembered all that Alain had told her, and the pieces came together. It _had _to be more than just his parents too. _'The others at Arzenal… and with the way that idiot acts…' _Hilda didn't like the conclusion she was coming too. "God dammit!" Hilda took off at a sprint before the others could catch on to what she was thinking. _'With the way he is, no way the dumbass didn't take more than just that on him!'_

"DAAAAMMIIITTTT!" Hilda's frantic searching around got a clearer direction when she heard the yelling. When she finally did find Alain, he was at a small clearing where a pond had formed. And coupled with his frustrated yelling, his fist was ramming into one of the trees repeatedly, and Hilda could see the blood flying from his torn knuckles as she approached. "Dammit, dammit dammit! I couldn't… DAMMIT!"

"Hey, will you calm down?!" Hilda yelled, grabbing Alain's arm as he was about to swing again, planting her feet down hard since she knew he was a lot stronger than she was. "What good is that going to do for you?!"

"Just… what else… GAAAGH!" Alain wrenched his arm free and punched the tree again, his jaw tight from trying to ignore the pain in his hand. "Dammit… dammit dammit dammit! I couldn't… I couldn't do anything at all against that damn thing…" As he sank to the ground, Hilda saw the tears starting to drop from Alain's face as he leaned down. She flinched when she found herself reaching out a hand, suddenly unsure of what she was supposed to do. _'I've hated him for so long… but this… I don't like seeing him like this.'_ "I tried… I did _everything _I could on my own! I thought I could… I thought I could at least make sure the thing that took my parents – that took so much from _everyone _– wouldn't do it again… but… I couldn't even touch him! Something… Wyvern wouldn't let me use it like I did before for some reason… when it did something I didn't know it could… DAMMIT!"

"Sitting there yelling about it isn't going to help you." Hilda said.

"Really?" Alain scoffed. Hilda felt something flare up in her when he sat up and looked at her with a face that could only be called broken. _'Is that what I looked like after Mama rejected me?' _"I… haha… I'm only alive because something else stopped him. I… if it wasn't for _fucking Embryo _I wouldn't even be here to feel like this." Alain's sobbing turned into broken laughter as he wrapped his arms around himself. "I thought I'd gotten over feeling that way. I thought like every other crazy nut on Arzenal I wasn't scared anymore. But when that happened… I realized I'm still terrified of the idea of dying. I can't… I don't want to lose anything again… I don't want anyone I love to lose anything again… but I couldn't even beat the thing that took everything away the first time!"

"So what?" Hilda threw caution to the wind. As Alain turned back to her, she knelt and pulled him into a tight but gentle hug. "I don't like seeing you like this, and I know the others won't like it either. You don't have to be that cocky, always on the ball ace pilot all the time. So just let it out. It's alright if you want to be angry. You've seen me cry already… so it's alright if you do it in front of me. It's fine for you to be the same kind of messed up, flawed person as the rest of us. You don't always have to be the hero."

For Alain, it felt like a dam burst. In Hilda's embrace, as words he didn't know he'd needed to hear got to him, he broke into loud sobs as the barely restrained emotions broke free. The frustration of losing, the fear at being confronted with what had taken so much from him, the lifted weight of what Hilda could only see as a burden he'd never asked for. All of it came out in his wails. _'How long?' _Hilda wondered. _'How long has he been forcing himself to keep it up in front of all of us? I don't think even Ersha or Salia have ever seen him this way.' _In the back of her mind, Hilda was also hoping nobody had followed. She'd be liable to attack somebody if they saw her doing this. When Alain finally went quiet and stopped shaking, Hilda spared a look down, also realizing she'd gone and shoved his face right into her chest. _'… then again maybe that helped. Guys calm down when girls do this right?'_

"Thanks." Alain sniffled, moving back, rubbing his eyes off on his sleeve. "I can't say I feel totally better but… I feel better than I did a few minutes ago." He winced as the pain from his injured hand registered again. Hilda rolled her eyes and reached into the back on Alain's waist, pulling out some of the emergency supplies she knew he had and getting to wrapping his hand up. "I… I don't know what to do now. Wyvern… it said something about not being able to use that system because of how I was."

"Well then next time don't go crazy and it shouldn't do that, right?" Hilda said, holding Alain's hand firmly as she put salve on it. "The past couple of times it did that weird stuff you weren't losing your mind right? Call me crazy but maybe you have to be in a certain mindset for it to do that."

"Maybe." Alain sighed. When Hilda finished wrapping his hand, he stared at the bandages with a lidded look. "If that guy comes back… unless I can find out how to use the ARISE System at will, I can't win. He has a system of his own, and once he used it, I didn't stand a chance as I was. And now… I'm afraid that's what's going to happen. Things won't just be quiet from now on once we get back to Arzenal. I don't know how long it'll be but…"

"Knock it off." Hilda gave Alain a smack on the head. "You can grumble about it later. If you need to figure something out, then talk it over with your stupid robot. I don't know a damn thing about how any of that works. I still don't even know what's going on at all. This is all way too freaking much at one time y'know? Add that to the stuff I am _not _looking forward to when we get back. Lockup is gonna be the least problematic thing compared to everything else."

"Yeah… there's everyone else." Alain was able to give a light chuckle at the least. "It might be more than a bit of a mess. But… once there's a chance, I promise I'll tell you – _everyone… _everything. At this point I don't want to keep secrets anymore. Not if… not if there's a chance of anything happening."

"I certainly hope you don't go and get all mopey about things from here on." Hilda said, Alain looking to the side. "I get it, you need to sort things out like I do. But… don't get stuck in some bad place alright? There's… well, I'd be kind of upset too if something happened to you. So… just don't get yourself hurt because you're feeling down. You don't have to be a hero, but I don't like the idea of you not being a badass either. Got it? Cause if not, I don't play as nice as the rest of the squad does."

"I am… completely lost on which way I'm supposed to take all of that."

"Then you can figure that out after we get back too." Hilda stood up and put out a hand. "Now c'mon. If you've calmed down now, we should get back. I'm just glad nobody came looking for both of us."

"Well, Tusk probably tried to, but the guys might've held him back." Alain said, Hilda giving an amused snicker. "Also… I know it might sound off, but… I don't think it was a bad thing you were born as a Norma." Alain's eyes trailed up to the sky past the trees as Hilda gave a tilted look. "This world is messed up, and there's a lot of reasons to hate it… and now I'm not even sure what my place in it is. But… I think even an ugly world like this is still beautiful. If there's one thing I wouldn't want to change about it… it's the people I've been able to meet. So, again… thank you. I'm not sure where I would've gone if you didn't come after me."

"I'm pretty sure I'm the one who was supposed to be giving the reassuring speech here." Hilda said, tapping Alain's chest with her hand. "But… I think I'm starting to like being a Norma a bit more than I used to. Also, save the sappy stuff for the Captain… Salia. It's not my kind of thing."

"Not trying to be sappy… I really am thankful y'know?" Alain countered, Hilda turning away and coughing into her hand. "Hehehe… nice to see even you can be embarrassed."

"Says the guy who was sobbing into my chest a few moments ago." Hilda returned, looking down at the all too obvious wet spots now on her shirt. "Hand me your jacket so I can cover this up."

"Yeah yeah." Alain did so with a casual shrug. As they made their way back to the beach, he took the time to look at the sky through the trees again. It felt different now, with the suddenly forced change in perspective he had. _'These skies… as long as things like that monster are flying in it… it won't be safe. But… now I'm thinking about what dad said years ago. Fly off to skies unknown… I still wonder what he meant by that. What kind of skies will they be, if I can get us to them at all?'_

* * *

**A/N**

**This was a chapter long in the planning stages that was for sure, so was fun to finally get to it. And from here, things are gonna get good that's for sure. Now I wonder who can spot what the Siegfried is inspired by. The Char Clone status is a given. Let's also hope the website doesn't break again.**


	22. Data Extras

Heyo folks, so like I said in lieu of not having done it in A/Ns, before getting start on the next effective arc, gonna do this extra "Data Chapter" with some extra tidbits. Mostly just clarifying references that may have been more up in the air, extra character bits. Hopefully this shouldn't be TOO long. So first up, VA choices!

**Alain: **Soma Saito for Japanese, and Johnny Yong Bosch for English. This one had actually been settled for a while.

**Naomi: **Yumi Hara for Japanese as per the game, though I can't say I'm too familiar with her as a VA. For English, Cherami Leigh.

**Wyvern: **In Japanese, Tomokazu Sugita. For English, Matthew Mercer. Familiar combination is it not? (Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet fans will know)

**Cipher: **Japanese, Takahiro Sakurai, and English, Steve Staley. No, he isn't secretly McGillis Fareed in a new universe.

And with that, some reference explaining. For those who caught it, a lot of the call signs and squadron names have to do with the Ace Combat series. They kinda come from all over the place, though Alain is like 4 wrapped into one character. Trigger and Mobius One are the callsigns of the player characters of AC 7 and 4, his surname, seen in the prologues journal entry, comes from Ilya Pasternak from 6, and the Wyvern's color scheme refers to the livery for Cipher from Ace Combat Zero (which I am so happy was put into 7 with the recent DLC). Speaking of Zero shoutouts, Garm Squadron.

_YES, _I am aware it is actually Galm, but that's a translation error 'cause Japan is REALLY weird about Rs and Ls and it refers to Garmr, a Nordic hellhound. Same deal with Huxian. I know the source, but it's meant to be a reference rather than a character bit. Y'know, an old little nudge towards the peeps who can catch it. And Heartbreak's nickname and surname are an Ace Combat 5 reference, good ol Heartbreak One. Feel free to image him as being voiced by Steve Blum.

And then probably the odd one out. Dission's surname is another AC reference, lots of them of course… it's his callsign. Big Boss can only really refer to Metal Gear Solid for me. Sorry Erich… didn't even know there was a character in Mazinger named Boss for a while in fact. My fault for not being as aware of classic super robot series till more recently.

Now granted not all of the callsigns are references. Some of them are more character related. EG, Ersha being called Swan while Rosalie is Stingy. Hilda's Count is meant to be another AC 7 one, but I did not actually know how Count in that game got his nickname till I was on the wiki. Meh.

And of course, moving on in references we get to Gundam. As is kind of obvious the Rondo-verse has basically just converted the Para-mails to Mobile Suits in all but name. I stress over technical details… _too much _in my spare time and while cool, the normal Para-mail designs never clicked with me in a sensical manner. Cool, but, well… Enryugo with its closed cockpit is like, peak design. It's all I ask, give a mech a closed cockpit at all times y'know? In that line expect Villkiss to be even more of a Freedom sendup than it already was this time 'round.

Wyvern is, perhaps just as obviously as some of the Ace Combat references, based loosely on the 00 Gundam in terms of function, not quite in form. Well… give it a few more chapters, I ain't spoiling nothin about potential upgrades. Also, as if ARISE basically being Trans-AM was not also obvious. I actually kinda agonized over that acronym for a bit since like _ALL _smart folk I worked backwards of course. And of course, the Siegfried. Ya'll are basically on the right track there's a general "Char's custom MSes" vibe, though in particular my thoughts were on the Sinanju when noting it down.

Anyway, I think that's about it in regards to any data extras for now. Now… I just need to go and think of some kind of LN style arc names. "Rondo in the Endless Sky" is already LN-esque enough of a title as it is. KEK.


	23. Chapter 21: Return

**Chapter 21: Return**

When Hilda and Alain finally emerged from the woods, they found the air to be quite tense around the others, especially what with Hilda wearing his jacket. Alain felt a twinge of guilt spring up at the reminder of how much trouble he must have been causing. _'First I almost get myself killed… then they see the results.' _He realized._ 'I've been worrying these guys half to death today haven't I' _he thought.

"Look guys…" he finally said. "I'm… I'm sorry about back there. I just… for years I've been thinking about that thing. But I never really thought about how I'd react when I actually finally found him."

"It's hard not to get it." High Roller said. "I have no idea how _I'd _act if I was in your place… though I guess for me it's not nearly as personal a matter."

"Don't go and beat yourself up." Chopper put a hand on Alain's shoulder. "Next time, you just need to go at him swinging harder than before. Preferably with a clear head."

"If it's even possible." Alain looked over to Wyvern, feeling another guilty sting as he looked over the damage to the machine. "Wyvern… next time… when I find out what it is I'm really fighting for…"

"_You can rest assured, Alain, my faith in you has not wavered." _The unit assured him. _"I always have your best interest in mind. It is my duty as your partner to do so. The way you were fighting back there however, I cannot say I agreed with it. But I do not doubt your ability in the least. We are partners. If there is an obstacle, if there is something you and I lack then we will overcome it."_

"Since when were you the sentimental type?" Hilda asked.

"_If I am to be honest, while I do not understand it, I believe I am feeling what you would call frustration." _Wyvern said, surprising the group. _"Marcus and I lost to that foe ten years ago. And being faced with it again, I have realized I too lack something. Yet, I cannot seem to find a solution to that problem. And I find it bothersome. Knowing that perhaps, if I knew what I was lacking, I could have prevented this situation from repeating. I do not know why I feel such a way."_

"A robot who can be sore about losing." Huxian smirked. "That's new."

"This one just keeps getting more complicated." Shamrock sighed.

"Then I guess you and me both have a lot of things to sort out." Alain decided. "Anyway, what's the plan here? I don't think the Siegfried is going to be coming back. Come to think of it, the pilot said something."

"What exactly?" Tusk asked, the group huddling together to hear the latest development.

"Something about 'a change of plans'." Alain replied. "But not much more than that. Also what we've suspected since Farbanti is true. He works for Embryo. And he has some kind of interest in Wyvern."

"Just great…" Huxian grimaced. "This just got a hundred times worse than we thought."

"Dammit." Chopper hissed. "If Embryo is involved, who the hell knows what's coming next? Alright, first thing's first, we need to get you lot back to Arzenal. When we get back to the mainland, we'll tell Big Boss and Heartbreak what happened, and hopefully start planning from there."

"I'll return to Misurugi once we've dropped them off." Tusk said. "I can get into the palace no problem, so I should be able to sneak a bug into the Emperor's office."

"There's one other problem though." Alain added. "Jill."

"The Commander?" Ange asked.

"Yeah." Alain nodded. "Jill… she hasn't wanted a thing to do with CROSS since Farbanti. I've had to keep the fact I'm still in contact with them pretty tight lipped. Just getting these guys to help me and Tusk is likely gonna put me in the same boat as you two."

"What the hell was she _expecting _you two to do?" Hilda growled. "Just go off the seat of your asses to try and get both of us… actually no, didn't you say she said to just ignore me and get Ange?"

"More or less."

"Geez, I can't wait to get answers about all this crap." Hilda sighed.

"I can... maybe try to convince her." Alain said. "I don't know how well it'll go though. Jill's changed a lot over the past ten years. I don't know if she'll want CROSS's help even _if _she knows they might come for Arzenal."

"One step at a time I guess." High Roller said. "Who knows if Arzenal is gonna have some kind of reckoning coming either. Especially from Rosenblum."

"Isn't that the kingdom that runs Arzenal?" Hilda realized. "And… we… kidnapped their princess. _Shit!"_

"I wonder how Lady Misty is." Momoka mused. "I hope she's alright."

"What did you even do with her anyway?" Alain asked.

"After we landed," Ange told him. "we knocked her out and left her tied up in the Perolina costume."

"That's definitely going to invite something." Alain winced.

"_Let us get going." _Wyvern interrupted. _"The sooner we can begin forming a strategy, the better." _The others nodded as they all mounted up. As Alain dropped down into Wyvern's cockpit, he paused to look at the machine's console. _"Is something wrong?"_

"No, just a bit surprised." Alain said. "And… I'm glad I've got you as my partner. Next time… let's find a way to beat that guy. There has to be some way to use the ARISE system on command."

* * *

As they had hoped, they were totally clear during the rest of the flight back to Arzenal. For the sake of speed and discretion, Garuda Team split off from the Wyvern and Tusk once they were within radar range. Knowing if that landing on the main runway would only cause a heap of trouble, Alain and Tusk had opted for the one tiny patch of beach at the back of Arzenal's cliffs. As they exited the Runner's extra compartment, Ange and Hilda took a moment to look up at the place. What came next, neither of them were quite looking forward to.

"So, this is where we part ways for now." Tusk said.

"You really have to leave?" Ange asked.

"Yeah. I have to find out what it is your brother plans to do next. At least for now, Arzenal is still safe… well, relatively anyway."

"No place safer than a jail cell." Hilda dryly said.

"You're really expecting the worst aren't you?" Ange said.

"We deserted, so of course I am. We're lucky the rules don't allow them to execute us."

"I think I've had enough attempted executions already." Ange sighed.

"Be careful out there." Alain said, he and Tusk clasping hands. "Though I'm sure I don't need to say that. If you see Big Boss, tell him I said hey."

"Will do." Tusk climbed back onto his Runner.

"Tusk." Ange called, Tusk looking back as he was about to turn the Runner. "Thank you for coming. If it wasn't for you and your friends… who knows what would have happened to me. I definitely would have been dead."

"Like I said, I'm your Knight. But, it's also because I want to do it." Tusk replied. "So next time… I kind of hope we can spend more time together."

"Definitely." Ange nodded, turning around to grimace at the three sets of knowing stares being shot her way as Tusk's Runner took off over the water. "Cut it out!"

"Now I _really _want to know what happened between you two." Hilda scoffed.

"I'm sure you two will have _plenty _of time to talk about such things in confinement." From the entrance, Jill walked out into view, her snide expression falling a bit when she looked at Alain. "What's with you? You look like a dog who just got kicked too hard."

"Hey!" Hilda snapped, not that Jill cared.

"Same as ever." Ange huffed, approaching the Commander. "There's something I want you to tell me. I want answers."

"Oh and you'll get them alright. But…" In a blur of her cloak, Jill drove the fist of her prosthetic right into Ange's gut, the girl giving a shocked gasp as she pitched forward onto the sand. "First you need to be punished."

"Lady Angelise!" Momoka stepped forward, only for Alain to hold her back. "How could you?!"

"Subordinates who act out of line need to be properly disciplined." Jill said, Momoka glaring at her. "Alain, keep your pet in check. So, Hilda, am I going to need to do the same? Or will you come quietly?"

"I saw this coming, so I won't bother." Hilda said, putting her hands up. "But, I want answers too. I've already figured a lot I probably shouldn't know."

"I don't doubt that." Jill looked at Alain again. "Alain, return Wyvern to the hangar and then meet me in my office for debriefing. I want a _full _report about what happened. Including why your Para-mail is so beat up."

"Yes ma'am." Alain saluted, but Jill still looked irked with him as she hauled Ange off, Hilda looking back as she followed after the Commander, not resisting when a pair of security staff rushed out and put her into cuffs.

"What will we do now?" Momoka asked, turning to find Alain already getting back into Wyvern.

"We'll just have to wait it out." Alain said, holding out a hand. Momoka took it and he pulled her up onto the machine. "For now… just stick with the Inspector. She'll probably be too busy freaking out though."

"I do hope Lady Angelise and Miss Hilda will be okay." Momoka said. "Is this jail bad?"

"Well…" Alain sighed, glancing back to the entrance. "It's definitely not a fun time. Or a comfortable one."

"Oh dear…" she fretted. Alain at least felt glad someone could be worried at a time like this. He knew he had plenty of his own trouble coming.

* * *

Alain couldn't help but dread as Jill leaned back into her chair as he gave his report. He would rather have gone back to being yelled at by Mei after she'd seen the state Wyvern was in. The Head Armorer had been almost inconsolable over it.

"So…" Jill's summarized, her voice a special kind of cold. "Not only did you bring CROSS into an operation I specifically said would only be between you and Tusk, you went against my orders and went after Hilda first, you ran into the thing that destroyed Farbanti ten years ago, and nearly got Wyvern destroyed." Jill's hands tightened up as she netted them together, Alain nodding. "If it wasn't for the fact I already have to put Ange and Hilda into confinement for their desertion, you know full well I could punish you just as severely for insubordination, correct?"

"I knew that going in." Alain replied. "But I did what I felt I had to in order to get the best result. I know you have issues with CROSS but we can't act like we don't need their help. Besides, I have a feeling you know this isn't the first time I got them to help me."

"The time with the maid was different." Jill bit. "But, considering the circumstances I'll limit your punishment to docking what would have otherwise been your pay for this mission. Besides, I'm far more interested in what you learned from fighting the Siegfried yourself."

"Well… it has some kind of special system of its own. It's not the Archangel System like Villkiss and the Ragna-mails though. Instead, it used Mana, meaning its pilot is a human. When it activated, the Siegfried began to move… differently. Patterns I could barely get a read on. And moving in ways I didn't think a Para-mail could."

"Did you at least manage keep up until that system came into play?" Jill asked, Alain nodding. "I can understand your desire for revenge. That thing killed your parents and those of your friends. But Embryo is the prime concern. Not his lackey. I don't have a problem with you destroying it and killing the pilot if it gets in your way again, but _not _at the expense of Libertus. Whatever your problem is, face it, deal with it, and get back into top form. When the time comes, I need every piece in play, and I won't have you jeopardize everything for the sake of a grudge. Is that clear?"

"Absolutely."

"Good." Jill turned to the side. "I already called Salia. You can join her and the rest of Garm in their discussion of Hilda and Ange. Naomi will have to step up in order to avoid them being grounded. You'll be flying with them on their upcoming sortie to make sure she doesn't have any problems."

"Yes ma'am."

"Dismissed."

Once he was out of the office and a fair distance from it, Alain stopped and slammed a fist against the wall. Jill was right. It wasn't just him and his issues. Libertus could very well depend on a number of factors, and if he lost or hesitated, it could all come crashing down. And then what? He winced when his hand flared, remembering he still had that injury from earlier. _'Man that was stupid of me.'_

"Alain?" Hearing his name, Alain looked over to see Salia approaching. "You're back?!"

"Hey." Alain responded. "And yeah. Have been for a bit. Just got done with the debrief." He was quick to hide his bandaged hand in his jacket pocket when Salia's eyes trailed to it. "That's nothing. Just something I did to myself."

"What happened while you were gone? I heard some people talking and they said Wyvern came back looking like it had been through a rough fight." Alain really didn't want to have to retell the story for a second time, but it wasn't like Salia didn't have the right to know. And after he did, he grimaced again as Salia started to shake. "The thing that… the reason mom and dad…" Salia sank down a bit as she covered her mouth, memories just as unpleasant for her flashing through her mind. "But you at least…"

"Not really." Alain grumbled. "Keeping up was all I could do, and it stopped being a fight half way through. My only chance if it shows up again is that Wyvern and I can find out how to use the ARISE system at will."

"You… are okay right?" Salia asked as she stood up and grabbed Alain by the hand.

"Physically at least." Alain sighed. "It's something I can think about later. Mei's already raked me over the coals about getting Wyvern damaged. Plus we've got other things to deal with."

"Right… Hilda and Ange." Salia looked down as her eyes narrowed. "I can't believe those two. Ange I can maybe get but Hilda? Deserting and leaving us hanging like that… don't they think about anyone but themselves?"

"That's kind of unfair." Alain said, Salia flinching. "Look… both of them had their reasons. Do I agree with them? No. But I understand them. Especially Hilda. These past few days have been a lot for all of us. And it's not really in my nature to go yapping about that to other people."

"You're acting… different." Salia murmured, her grip on Alain's hand tightening.

"I just have a lot I need to sort out." Alain pulled his bandaged hand away, his eyes lingering on it. "Because until now I'd always thought I was so sure about everything but… now I'm not. I'm afraid of dying. I'm afraid of losing. I'm afraid of failing. And feeling like I'm not strong enough to do anything about it is even scarier. If I go off the deep end again… look, this is just something I need to think through on my own."

"That's fine." Salia said. "I… we just need you to be there with us." It was obvious Salia had wanted to say something else. "I'm just glad you came back to us in one piece. But don't lose in front of me, alright? I don't like that idea."

"Heh… Hilda said the same thing." Alain hummed, Salia flinching again. "I don't need to be some hero, but I can't just run away either."

"Being reminded of that…" Salia huffed, Alain wincing a bit. "Let's go get the others. This is probably going to be a mess. Especially with Chris… you wouldn't believe the mood she's been in since we found out they deserted."

As they walked off, Alain found Salia wouldn't be willing to let go of his hand until they'd gotten to the briefing room.

* * *

Arzenal's cell block was a place that, perhaps surprisingly, saw little use. One could chalk it up to the tolerance for whatever shenanigans Norma got up to during missions, so it was a rare day for one to get thrown into the place. As such if someone _were _to be put into a cell, then it assured the entire base they had to have done _something _extreme to earn it. And desertion was certainly on that list.

"When are they even supposed to get here?" Hilda groaned as she leaned her head back against the bare wall of the cramped space. It was hardly enough to be livable even by Arzenal's standards. The "beds" she and Ange were graced with were barely more than a few slabs of wood chained to the wall, with a thin, scratchy excuse for a pillow and blanket being their only covering. Nor was she liking the idea of that exposed toilet. _'Well at least it's probably clean…'_

And then there was the matter of her partner in crime, who was still out like a light on the floor.

"Hey, Ange! How long are you going to stay down?" Hilda leaned forward and lightly tapped Ange with a foot, the blonde groaning in pain. "Commander's got one hell of a right hook huh? Alain's been hit by that thing more times than you might care to count."

"Shut up…" Ange groaned, holding her throbbing stomach. As she sat up, the girl noticed she'd been stripped naked. "That's the second damn time in a week!"

"They put some of your uniform on the bed." Hilda pointed out. "All the better, I think our friends should be here any moment now."

"You're still calling them that?" Ange bitterly noted as she hurriedly dressed herself just in time for them to hear the heavy clanking of the outer doors opening. Salia, Ersha, Rosalie, Chris, and Alain coming last. Hilda was quick to assume Ersha had gotten Vivian to stay away by occupying her with something. She couldn't guess why Naomi was absent. "And now this."

"I'm here to inform both of you of your punishment." Salia pulled up the clipboard that was tucked under her arm. "Ange and Hilda of Garm Squadron, for your desertion, you'll be placed in the suspension quarters for one week. Your wealth and property will also be confiscated. This includes your Para-mails, of course."

"This is just something you have to take responsibility for." Ersha said. "You're bother deserters after all." In a rare showing, Ersha's expression was downcast as she looked at the two. "Why? Why did you two run?"

"Huh?" Ange raised a brow while Hilda remained silent, looking away when she caught the glare Chris was giving her.

"We've all been here since we were babies." Ersha continued. "We don't know anything about the outside world, and there's nobody waiting for us. We don't have a reason to leave. There's no place for us Norma outside. So why?"

"Because they're not like us." Salia said. "Ange especially. We never should have trusted her."

"Come on, there has to be some reason!" Rosalie spoke up. "Hilda, why didn't you just talk to us if there was a problem? We're friends, aren't we?"

"Tch, don't waste your time." Chris scoffed. "She never thought of us as friends."

"Chris…" Alain murmured.

"It's not like I have some excuse." Hilda said. "I left because I thought there _was _something for me out there. I was wrong, so now I'm paying the price for that. If you want to be pissed at me about it, feel free. No use talking it over when I'm locked in a cell like this."

"Then why leave in the first place?!" Chris growled, slamming a hand onto the cell. "What was the point huh?"

"Like I said, a prison cell isn't the place for us to talk this out." Hilda bit back. "Be angry with me, hate me for all I care. I probably deserve it. But when I am out of here, you'll find out why. And that I get it now. I get what all of you went through. We are different. But I can do my best to try and understand that." Alain couldn't stop a small smile from showing, Hilda looking away from him when she caught it. Chris looked between the two, giving a grimace of annoyance.

"Whatever. Rosalie, let's go." Chris's surprisingly firm tone made Rosalie flinch to attention.

"O-Okay." Rosalie gave a worried look to Alain. _'I'll stop by later.' _He mouthed, the girl nodding.

"I bought back all of Captain Zola's stuff." Chris added. "I don't want you to have any of it."

"You weren't kidding when you said Chris is in a mood." Alain said, looking to Salia as Chris and Rosalie left.

"That's all that needs to be said here." Salia spared a look back as she left too.

"I'm sure it'll be fine when you're out." Ersha assured, pulling Alain a bit of a ways off. "Alain, is something wrong? You've been awfully quiet since you got back. Salia seemed worried about something too."

"I'd be lying if I said I was fine." Alain admitted, doing his best to give Ersha a reassuring smile as that worried look of hers returned. "But it'll be fine, I promise. I'll meet you all in a bit, I need to talk with those two about something before I go."

"Alright." Ersha leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek, slowly letting go of his arm as she left. _'I guess I'm also realizing how lucky I am to have these people around me.' _Alain thought as he returned to the cell.

"Well, that was mess." Hilda noted, laying down on the bench.

"Until now I'd never really thought about what the rest had it like." Ange admitted with a sigh. "Being here since you were a baby. No wonder no one's tried to escape before."

"Well that's the regular case. Some of us were actually born here." Alain said as he sat down, Ange giving him a raised brow, then looking to Hilda, who nodded in confirmation. "To make the long story short, back before CROSS was a thing there was a group of those pre-Mana humans who joined up with Arzenal. Me, Salia, Chris, and Naomi are just a few of the kids who were born at that time. Tusk as well."

"So _that's _what Tusk meant when he said you and him had Norma mothers." Ange asked, Alain nodding. "Let me guess, it also has to do with the Villkiss and whatever it is the Commander knows, right?"

"Libertus." Alain said. "We call it Libertus. The plan to make a world where the ones rejected by the Mana World can live in peace and freedom. The Farbanti disaster ten years ago was the crux of it's failure back then. The reason Jill is the one who should tell you, Ange… is because she used to be the one who piloted Villkiss."

"Huh?!" Ange gasped, Hilda looking just as shocked.

"Like I've said before, I'm not at liberty to talk about all of this right now. But… if something happens like we're expecting, then I think _everyone _is going to learn the truth sooner than we think." Alain looked off to the exit. "To be honest, for the longest time we've had a little inner circle planning this in the wings. Jill, Jasmine, Maggy, Salia, Mei, and myself. Ange, you arriving here two months ago is what kick started it. That ring of yours, hell the fact you're of royal blood… that's the lynchpin to Libertus. Despite what Salia said, Jill doesn't have any plans for you _not _to pilot Villkiss once you're out of here."

"You're just making me want answers all the more now." Ange huffed. "She used to be it's pilot… just what _is _Villkiss anyway? Why do Jill and Salia always seem to be making a big deal out of it?"

"I think I remember Salia tried to pilot it herself a few years ago." Hilda said. "It didn't go well though. The thing got totally trashed and she was a mess afterwards. Nobody knew why it happened though. They just said it was some kind of system malfunction."

"That's part of all of this." Alain confirmed. "Villkiss is… special. Only certain people are capable of piloting it. That's why the two of them are so stuck on it. That's really all that I can say, other than that Villkiss and its pilot are key parts of Libertus. As far as Jill is concerned… you're a lot more important than you might think."

"I'm not exactly in the mood to be treated as something special nowadays." Ange huffed.

"Well, take that one up with Jill when you can. She'll tell you the full story then, I'm sure." Alain stood, dusting himself off. "I'll find some time to stop by and check in here and there over the next few days."

"Which reminds me…" Ange said, her eyes narrowing. "If you do anything to Momoka while I'm in here I'm cutting it off, got it?"

"Yeah yeah." Alain said with a wave. "She'll be fine, don't worry. I'll make sure Maggy doesn't put anything weird into her head. Lord knows what that woman's gonna try and convince her of."

"Good." Ange huffed, her eyes trailing back until she heard the door clank shut. Then she looked at Hilda. "Alright, spill it, the hell happened between you and him before you showed up?"

"How about you tell me what happened between you and that Tusk guy and then I'll talk." Hilda returned.

"Fair enough." Ange surmised. "He pulled me out of Villkiss after I crash landed on his island, tied me up to this bed, fell into my crotch after I woke up… then like an idiot I ran into the forest in the rain and got bit by a snake. Idiot sucked the poison out but… he did save my life. Of course while he was fixing Villkiss _somehow _he faceplanted on me a few more times. I strung him up in a tree once or twice as punishment. But… I can't really say it was a bad time."

"That is… much weirder than I thought it would be." Hilda commented. She did find the image of Tusk, through wild chance or a defiance of physics planting his face between Ange's legs amusing at the least. "It was different for me. After I found my mom, some cops showed up when I was leaving. I beat up a few of them." Ange raised a brow, Hilda glaring at being caught. The mostly healed bruises still on her face said a lot more than her mouth was. "Alright, fine! I was pretty out of it and they beat the hell out of me. Alain appeared out of nowhere and took them down. I don't actually think he killed any of them either. After that, we spent a day just talking it out at a cabin those CROSS guys have as a hideout."

"Wait wait, back up a bit. He _didn't _kill the cops that attacked you?" Ange's brow raised right up as Hilda nodded. "I didn't think that guy knew how to be subtle. But then again he also wasn't being his usual smartass self."

"We can pin that on what happened today." Hilda leaned an arm up on her knee. "To be honest just talking with Alain made me realize a lot. I kind of always hated him because I didn't like what he represented. I'd decided to go and let myself be Zola's plaything to survive here, and he was acting as free as a bird. I didn't realize until recently just how much he had shoved onto him by the people around him. I don't think some of the girls here realize how idolizing him like that isn't good for him."

"So the "Ace of Aces" is fallible after all." Ange remarked. "What about your two friends? Chris was pretty pissed off."

"I'll sort things out with them once we're out of this cell." Hilda repeated. "Chris can be pissed off if she wants for now. Alain said things about her parents are kind of raw memories… always took Chris for the quiet type but I guess there was also things she just never wanted to talk with me or Rosalie about."

"It's weird learning some of them had families." Ange bore a wistful look as she stared off out of the small cell window. "My brother seems like he always had it out for me. And my own sister betrayed me."

"At least _your _parents didn't reject you for being a Norma." Hilda bitterly countered. "Yours at least tried to protect you."

"That's the other thing." Ange said as she let out a huff. "This rotten world… how the hell does that guy do it?"

"Huh? Alain?"

"Yeah." Ange nodded. "He went off the deep end sure, and you had to snap him out of it but he's still not broken. When Sylvia betrayed me, it felt like everything I still had hope in was gone. I just shut down until you all showed up. So how the hell does he come out of being beaten by the thing that killed his family nearly in one piece?"

"I wouldn't give him that much credit." Hilda hummed. "But you do have a point. When he finally calmed down, even if he's being indecisive now, I didn't see that same kind of broken look I'm sure we both had. How the hell he can be hopeful in a world like this, I don't know. He's probably just an idiot."

"Well _your _idiot at least has an idea of what he's doing."

"What do you mean by…" Hilda stalled when Ange gave her a look, her face almost matching her hair. "It's not like that!"

"Didn't everybody else like to speculate about when you two were going to share a bed?"

"That was all joking around."

"Sure sure." Ange gave a playful wave, Hilda giving a huff, but she had the same snide grin as Ange.

"How far have _you _gotten with _your _idiot anyway huh? Aside from his face falling into your crotch apparently." At Hilda's counter, Ange blushed too and started messing with her hair.

"Not that far. We almost kissed one time at the least." Ange admitted, Hilda snickering. "Shove it! At least Tusk doesn't sleep around."

"I don't think he can anyway." Hilda countered, Ange sighing. "You know, I never thought I'd feel better having some stupid chat about men of all things."

"Same here." Ange looked back out the window again. "When I get my answers, I'll make sure that twisted world full of privileged dumbasses gets torn down."

"I might actually be on board with that whole bit of making a place where we can." Hilda said. "If I get to bust some people's heads along the way, that'll be even better."

"It might not take anything less to do that. So, how about it? Would you be willing to team up with me to bring that system down?"

"Let's get out of these cells first." Hilda answered. "I'll consider it until then."

* * *

With the sky growing dark from nightfall, Alain took the opportunity to sneak away from his room and get outside. There was a lot of things on his mind, and some fresh air was helping him feel at ease about it. Base personnel technically weren't supposed to be top side at this time, but he knew his way around enough to get out and back with no one the wiser. Once he'd found a spot along the cliff edge he sat down, closing his eyes as the night breeze blew over him.

"Libertus huh? Jill seems to be getting a lot more serious about it…" Alain gave a deep sigh as he laid down in the grass and stared up at the moon. "It's not like I don't understand my place in it. But to think, that thing was right in front of me, and I couldn't even…" Alain felt his jaw tense up as a slow, simmering anger rose up in him.

"_Jill's diagnosis that Embryo remains the top priority is strategically sound." _Wyvern commented. _"However, I feel as if her own reasons may not be as genuine. It is troubling she still refuses to cooperate with CROSS. If something does happen, Arzenal lacks the resources to stand on it's own."_

"Until I see a reason for it, I have to trust Jill… as much as I can anyway." Alain said as he sat up. "But unlike her I _do _trust CROSS. But… that can wait for later. We need to figure this out." Alain pulled out the terminal, Wyvern's AI view flashing onto the screen. "Using the ARISE System… why I want to keep fighting for Libertus… no… why I actually want to protect anything. I don't want it to be for revenge. But protecting something solely for the sake of it? Why doesn't that feel right either?"

"_Alain, I do not feel you are the type who simply does things for the sake of it." _Wyvern said. _"There is a reason behind your desires, a goal that must still be within sight for you. Didn't you say it yourself? That you want to know what your father meant by reaching "skies unknown"?"_

"But that's just it!" Alain muttered. "What if I can't do that? What does something like that even mean? 'Reaching skies unknown?' I still don't understand it. Reaching that with everyone I can… of course that's still what I want to do but why? And can I?"

As he mulled over it, his eyes went upwards again. And as he looked at the moon, two darting shapes caught his eye. A pair of birds that Alain recognizing as sea eagles, soaring through the air together. He remembered that they occasionally nested in Arzenal's northern cliffs when passing through during migration. And the way the birds spiraled and swirled around looked just like a dance. _'Dad always admired birds…' _he remembered. As his eyes followed the eagles, something falling down also caught his gaze. Alain reached out and found himself holding a large feather one with mottled grey patterns. He was also reminded of that old coin, pulling it out and angling it so the moonlight shone along the faded eagle engraving in it.

"Eagles huh? Didn't dad say something about them representing freedom a long time ago?" Tucking the coin and feather into a pocket, Alain stood and turned, a brief cry of surprise coming from him as he saw Naomi standing behind him. "What are you doing out here so late?"

"Looking for you." Naomi answered. "Ersha's keeping Vivian busy, so I went searching. You're in a mood of your own huh?"

"You could definitely say that." Alain looked down as a scoff passed him. "I'm trying to figure a lot of things out right now. Today was… revealing of a lot for me."

"I can tell by that look of yours. You're almost always grinning or smirking. It's rare to see you looking so worn down." Naomi commented, grabbing Alain by the cheeks. "But your eyes are as bright as always. Whatever it was, it didn't do a thing to discourage you huh? Being stubborn is one of your good points."

"I don't think being stubborn is going to be enough though." Alain said, gently holding Naomi's wrists. "It's a lot to think about. More than I've had to think over than I have in a long time."

"You'll figure it out, you always do." There wasn't a hint of doubt in Naomi's voice as she pulled Alain into a hug, the boy flinching from the action. "You don't always have to be the Ace of Aces. You can just be a normal guy every now and again with us you know?"

"That seems to be a point I'm getting told a lot recently." Alain returned the embrace as he chuckled, Naomi giggling into his ear. And both were surprised when they heard something carry on the air: Singing. _Ange _singing.

"_Shine upon me El Ragna. Upon everything, it spins and spins lu la la li la. Sadness and happiness are both part of my hazy destiny. All of this is the dream works of a minute's time. When God blinks, we are already dead and gone again. Resonate, resonate, now as your true form. Fleetingly, fleetingly, the visions of men recede. It prays for eternity." _The song was somewhat familiar by now. Alain recalled a few times over the past two months during sorties that Ange would sing it. He'd always taken it as a quirk of hers. Now though, he was beginning to think there was some significance to that song.

"It's weirdly nostalgic sounding, isn't it?" Naomi commented, keeping a hand threaded with Alain's. "I've only heard it a few times myself but… something about it is familiar."

"Not sure why but yeah. I feel the same way listening to it." Alain said with a chuckle. "Salia would probably be annoyed at us praising Ange for her singing at a time like this."

"She's a deserter in lock up, how dare you be swayed over by a silly song! Right?" Alain stifled his snickering at Naomi mimicking Salia's tone. "I'm also sure things will make sense once you're up there in the skies again. I can't wait to fly with you again."

"It'll make sense huh?" Alain wondered. "Maybe… and, yeah. Me too. I missed it when you were out. Something felt like it was missing whenever I was up there with the others. I'm sure they felt the same way about not having the wild Pixy up there too."

"Hehehe, then I need to make sure my second First Flight leaves a good impression." Alain felt Naomi's grip on his hand tighten. There was worry there despite her confidence. "Now come on, it's getting late. Can't get anything done when you're tired right?"

"Right… though tonight, well…"

"Sometimes making sure someone isn't alone is all you need to do." Naomi said. "You were at my side the entire time while I was in a coma, so let me be by yours while you're trying to sort whatever this is out."

"Yes ma'am."


	24. Chapter 22: Reminiscence

**Chapter 22: Reminiscence**

'_If I had to say there was something I can never turn down, it's food.' _Alain's eyes were boring into the hotpot that Garm Squad had decided would be that day's after drills meal with ready eyes. After the rather emotional few days he had been through, sitting around a steaming pot of meat and vegetables was certainly a welcome shift in pace. Naomi and Ersha certainly looked pleased at how his mood seemed to have improved.

"A shift change?" Vivian gasped. Salia had mostly convened this to inform the team of what the next week was going to look like.

"Yes. Due to… recent events, Garm Squadron is being put further back in sortie rotation. We won't be having another sortie for a few days." Salia explained as she set aside her data pad. "Thankfully we have the numbers to avoid being put on standby, though we will need to get Naomi through her first sortie since she got out of her coma. Alain will be with us then too to keep us at where we normally are."

"Though that one's a special case." Alain added. "Commander still has me set up to sortie with another Squad today."

"Which one?" Rosalie asked.

"Snowbird. Eleanor's squad."

"Doesn't she hate you?" Naomi asked.

"She does." Alain sighed. "Eleanor's hated me ever since I knocked her off the leaderboard. Everyone else in her squad is just ambivalent."

"Well at least we're not being kept out of combat." Ersha said as the began to divvying up portions from the bowl. And surprisingly to the others, _Ersha _nabbed the biggest portion of the cooked meat rather than Alain.

"It would be worse if we got grounded completely." Rosalie admitted. "No thanks to the Breakout Sisters anyway."

"Did you make that one up?" Alain dryly muttered.

"Unfortunately, no."

"Part of me hopes they never come back." Chris's frosty words caused a few looks to be shared among the squad.

"Just how bad has she been?" Alain asked as he leaned closer to Naomi, almost hissing as he tried to stay quiet.

"Pretty bad." Naomi answered. "And I'm not sure it'll let up any time soon. We tried talking with her, but she wasn't having it. Maybe you should try, Chris always listens to you."

"I did say I'd stop by for that." Alain said. _'I have to wonder what CROSS is going to do now?'_

* * *

To say the news Garuda had brought back with them to CROSS's headquarters caused an uproar was an understatement. Leon felt like he'd barely slept the past couple of days as it was, and now everything was getting into place in case something went down. But until they got word from Tusk about whatever was happening in Misurugi, it was just set up. _'Not that it isn't a reason for us to be thorough with it.' _Leon thought, turning down the hall as he made his way to Dission's office. _'If we could have an easier way to know what's going on in Arzenal this would be that much better. Dammit Alektra, what will it take for you to realize Arzenal can't do another Libertus on its own?'_

"Heyyy, Major!" Leon looked back, seeing Chopper trotting down the hall towards him. "Was wondering where you'd gotten to amid all the buzz!"

"And where exactly have you been since getting back, Louis?" The operator sighed at the use of his real name, Leon folding his arms. "You know I don't use callsigns outside of ops and comms."

"And _you _know I refuse to go by anything but!" Louis countered. "Anyway, you goin' to see Big Boss?"

"I am. Did you finally get that mission report done?"

"Relax. Had Huxian finish it up before he and Ionela started schnozing it up like they do whenever we get back." Louis flicked out a stack of papers to prove it. "Sucks we can't do anything until Tusk gets back to us about that bug he planted."

"Operations require information to be run effectively. We can anticipate all we want, but it won't do if we can't find out anything else." Leon said as they continued down the hall. "It's already enough of a problem learning the Nightmare works for Embryo. And that 'change of plans' says enough."

"And until we know what that means, we can't act." Louis said so in a tone mimicking Leon, which earned the younger man a glare. "Ho hoo, lookin' fierce as usual with that glare Heartbreak. You should hear how some of the ladies talk about it."

"What it kid." Leon warned.

"Hey, I'm only four years younger than you, Mr. Almost 30." Louis ducked when Leon threw a punch his way. "And besides, everybody knows there's only one person you're set on. You aren't nicknamed Heartbreak for nothing!"

"Keep talking and I'll put you in med bay for a next week."

"Yes sir."

When the two arrived at Dission's office, they found the commander already surrounded by papers and Mana screens as he worked, sending orders and going over the info that was coming in from their entire spy network. Trying to find out what was going on within the Mana nations had been occupying much of their time since the Misurugi incident.

"I'm here with that report Big Boss." Louis got a nod from Dission as he put the papers into the stack, the old man barely looking away from his work. "Full on work mode eh old timer?"

"I was never one to take things slow." Dission said. "And we can't really afford to do that anyway."

"Has anything come in?" Leon asked. "Tusk has Misurugi covered, but what about Rosenblum? I'm sure they're not taking the fact a pair of Norma manhandled their princess lightly."

"That's actually why I called you here, Leon." Dission said, making Leon raise a brow. "I did get word of something major from our Rosenblum operatives. Considering the scope of the breach of security Arzenal just had, they're acting on it as you'd expected. The current Inspector's competence has been called into question, so they're sending a top-ranking officer to do a look over of the facility."

"That is the furthest thing from good." Louis winced. "Going by what Alain's told us, they've only gotten away with everything they have because the current Inspector is a bit _too _easy to dupe. If they send someone who's better qualified… well we may as well kiss the idea of another Libertus goodbye."

"Not unless we send someone in their place." As Dission and Louis looked to him, Leon glanced between both. Then he realized what they were implying. "Come on Leon, it's been some time since you had a proper mission."

"We are talking about trying to sneak someone – for some reason me – into Arzenal!" Leon objected. "It was risky enough when we had some of our operatives volunteer to act as the crew to retrieve that girl. Heck I'm not even a Mana human! The capacitor gloves aren't easy to make a convincing cover with over a long time. Just who the hell is the officer they're intending to send anyway?"

"By the looks of it, someone who'd be far harsher on Arzenal than young Emma Bronson." Dission turned a monitor around to show the file he had opened up. "Say hello to General Grisha Herman, long time member of the Rosenblum military and one with _quite _the record of Norma acquisitions. If there was one person to crack down on Arzenal's security, it'd be this man."

"How anyone makes general in a world like theirs I'll never know." Louis snarked.

"In short someone who can't be easily swapped out the usual way." Leon grumbled. "Is this _solely _because you think I would be the best for this? Or is there other motives towards sending me in particular to Arzenal underneath it?"

"I have no idea what you mean." Dission said, barely able to hide his chuckle. "But if there's anyone I'm sure can play the part of the stern officer, well… that's basically what you already do isn't it? Just toss in a bit of extra scorn due to interacting with Norma and you'd fit right in."

"I'm not pleased with the implications." Leon grumbled. "But I can't really say it's a _bad _idea. Reckless and dangerous; but not bad. Also probably the only shot we've got to get someone into Arzenal to see if Jill can't be convinced."

"And what better person to do that than you?" Dission said, glancing at the old photograph. "You two were quite close."

"Ten years ago. And even then, she only had her eyes on Istvan."

"Hence the name Heartbreak." Louis had to dodge another punch as he snickered.

"Fine." Leon said. "Let's bust into Arzenal. Boy won't the kid be surprised."

* * *

Alain had to admit it, after flying with Garm almost exclusively for a couple of months it was a bit odd being with another team. Snowbird Squad was far from the flying circus the girls in Garm were. An uptight Captain who perhaps was even more by the book than Salia, and Para-mails all in a uniform livery of dark pink and red. It just made Wyvern stand out in the center of the pack all the more.

"_Trigger." _Alain glanced down as he was pinged. On the console was Snowbird's leader Eleanor, a tan skinned woman with dark brown hair. Also one of the Norma who was quite open about their dislike for Alain. _"I don't want you messing with things in my team, got it? Stay out of the formations and deal with stragglers."_

"Not that fair in terms of pay isn't it?" Alain countered. Eleanor glared at him, though he paid it no mind. He wasn't in much of a mindset to cause trouble. "I'll pick off whatever gets in my way, simple as that. Also, remember we're _both _Captains. You're not my superior."

"_That rank of yours is only for show, Mr. One Man Squad." _Eleanor bit. _"Come back to me when Commander has you _actually _leading a team of your own. Until then, you're just a Captain in name only."_

"Frosty as usual."

Eleanor huffed and closed the line as Alain rolled his eyes and focused forward as the call for the approach to the incursion zone came in. As the sky split open, the first things to exit weren't a swarm of Schooners. They were larger than them, but nowhere near as big as the other DRAGON types. The four DRAGONs split off in a fan formation, shooting past the approaching Para-mails at full speed, roars akin to jet engines piercing the air as burning trails followed their wings.

The sole medium sized DRAGON class, Sloops. It was only after those ones that the Schooners descended, followed by a Brig.

"_Are you kidding?! Why does there have to be Sloops too?" _Eleanor snapped.

"Then I'll take them." Alain said, already veering around. "Wyvern can keep up with them no problem. You ladies can have the rest."

"_Tch, fine… Arrow formation!"_

As Snowbird got into position to take on the swarm, Wyvern veered off and sped up as its wings locked into Pursuit Mode. As he chased down the Sloops, Alain noticed something as he tracked their maneuvers and responded to their own attempts to get around him. _'They're moving differently. It's almost like they're in formation too.' _As he observed, the Sloops were certainly flying in motions he recognized as flight formations. Doubling up when chased to get him off the tail of one, spiraling upwards and diving back, rolling to avoid his gunfire, and breaking his missile locks by taking sharp turns.

It was almost as if someone had taught these Sloops how to fly like Para-mails.

"Took them long enough to start learning." Alain felt a smile creep along his face as his fingers readjusted. "Alright then… let's fly!"

The chase turned into a dance in the clouds. Wings both natural and artificial carved their way through the clouds as they climbed higher while exchanging attacks, bolts of energy colliding in the air and missiles leaving vapor trails behind them as they sought after speedy targets. And as he broke through a cloud, Alain's eyes locked on the deep blue expanse that laid before him. Behind him the clouds and the ocean below with whatever islands were scattered across its surface. The very world he wanted to leave behind.

But above? A blue even deeper than the ocean he flew above so often. An ocean he could actually explore.

"Carve you trail into the skies." His hand reached out, shaped like a plane cresting through that deep blue expanse. As Alain let Wyvern drop downwards, he closed his hand tightly. More words he'd forgotten, the phrase his mother would always tell him with a confident smile on her face. The Sloops, seeing what looked like a chance, gathered up and trailed behind Wyvern as it dove.

"_Alain, attack incoming." _Wyvern warned, Alain silently placing his hand back to the control stick. _"I suggest…"_

"No need!" Alain changed modes and wheeled around in the air, taking aim with his beam rifle. His gaze was steady as his targets lined up, the Sloops collectively charging an energy blast of their own. And as the moment edged on, Alain felt the world start to slow. Red trailed after Wyvern as it continued to descend, flecks of light flying past like feathers. "Let's go!"

A charged shot flew from the rifle, piercing one of the Sloops to send it careening off to the side and stopping the charge. As the remaining Sloops broke off, Wyvern glowed red as Alain shot after them, leaving a trail behind it. _'Why the hell did I forget so much? My parents loved the sky more than anything. Libertus wasn't just about finding a place in the world for them. It was about making one where they could be free to love these skies as much as they wanted. I still don't know just what I want, but I…'_

"I love the sky too!" The declaration ripped from his throat as he blazed past the Sloops. "Fly faster! Fly further! Fly higher! Carve your trail into the skies!"

He pulled back and over as a storm of energy bolts flew his way, passing right over the Sloops and firing at them in turn. As the DRAGONs fell from the cleanly placed shots, Wyvern changed to Assault Mode and began to hover, its red glow dying down. Alain looked off as Snowbird finishing off the Brig, his breathing a bit heavier.

"Even if I have to fight for it… I'll find a reason to protect these things. I'll make a world where I can love the sky as much as I want."

* * *

After returning to the base, Alain snuck off to attend to something most of the residents, Alain didn't like the graveyard. For him, that spot of Arzenal carried a lot of bad memories. He'd spent so much time watching friends die, he had a hard time thinking of the spot as anything but a reminder of what the Norma were stuck with. Especially the failures of the past. Even if they weren't his own.

"I think the only times I'd really visit would be to help set new graves, and each year with Salia to put flowers at the graves from Libertus." Alain said as he knelt before one grave, a wistful smile on his face. "Pretty pathetic of me, huh Mom?"

On it's face was the name Monica Pasternak.

"Although you didn't like this place much either. What was it again? 'Because I won't allow anyone to die under my watch', right? Zola always said you were a pain in the ass as a Captain, but that's why everyone always came back alive. I hope you two have gotten to talk, wherever you ended up. I hope it's alright there, and I hope you're with Dad." Alain rubbed his eyes clear as they started welling up. "I finally remembered your favorite saying. I forgot it somehow, guess it had just been a long time. Some Ace I am. Can't even remember Keeper's callout. Things right now… well they aren't the best. It sucks knowing that it might get worse and that I can't tell anyone about it. But I want to… I want to so damn badly. Dammit… I wish you guys were still here so I could at least have some kind of advice on what to do. It's just way too much to keep carrying on my own."

"You're doing that thing again kid." Something leaned against him and Alain looked up to see Vuclan laying his head on his shoulder. He'd been so engrossed in his own little world he hadn't heard Jasmine approach. "You know that thing where you start taking _all _the problems in the world onto yourself for no reason. Haven't you been through enough to make you stop doing that already?"

"It's not that." Alain muttered, reaching up to pat Vulcan's head. "It's knowing as much as I want to, right now I _can't _share that burden. Hilda already drove it in for me. But… what else can I do when I'm in a situation like this? I barely even know why I'm fighting anymore."

"Well that's certainly one way you aren't like Monica." Jasmine said, kneeling herself. "That girl did things purely for the sake of them. Didn't need a reason in the world to decide to do something. She'd just do it. Did I ever tell you about how she and your dad got together?"

"Only a thousand times." Alain chuckled. "Dad showed her up in Wyvern first day he got here, and she kept trying to return the favor. And somewhere along the way, the rivalry turned into love."

"Ahh, spoilin' this old lady's fun now."

"You're barely forty. That's still pretty young."

"Not for Arzenal. I'm practically ancient." Jasmine put a hand to Alain's head. "I'm beyond lucky for a Norma to get to be alive this long. You think I don't feel a bit bitter over watching so many of these girls grow up only to die young? Calling kids who're barely eighteen old. It's enough to make you sick sometimes."

"Not like it can really be helped." Alain mumbled.

"Well you and Ersha are the closest thing to actual parents the girls in the education group have." Jasmine said. "You two are barely even eighteen but she treats those little girls like they were her own. I wanna see those kids have long, nice lives where they get to do what they want. And they can't get that being stuck in here."

"And that's what Libertus is for." Alain sighed. "Though I'm not sure we can do that without help. What's Jill's issue about all of this?"

"I wish I knew that as much as you." Jasmine stood, stretching her arms out. "We'll just have to see how things play out from here. If old Dission can get his boys in order I'm sure something will happen before we know it. That man always knew how to get around things."

"Man would I like to see you two working together again." Alain mused as he stood up. "Anyway, I've got one other grave I want to visit."

"Oh… you haven't been there in ages. A lot of you kids haven't." Jasmine gave a sigh and looked off. "I can only hope the ones who still aren't with us are back with their parents now. Probably a lot happier than we are. Anyway, tell that brat I said hello."

"Will do." Alain turned off to the far end of the yard, a hand tightening up before he set off. The hidden area he'd told Hilda about was well out of the way. It had to be to make sure it wasn't found by anybody who didn't have a reason to know about it. Past the edge of the upper cliffs, all that was left was a large gate, which Alain pushed through with a bit of struggle due to the aging hinges being covered in rust. Behind it were more rows of graves. Like the graves for the Norma, each one was marked with only but a name. But beside each was a black helmet. And some still had long dried-up flowers by them.

Alain moved through the rows until he reached the middle, gently brushing his hand along the tops until he reached the headstone for Marcus Pasternak. As he knelt in front of the grave, he couldn't help but tug at his scarf. It was one of the few gifts from his father he still had. And he could still remember the day he'd had it wrapped around him for the first time.

"You always did say I'd grow into this one day." Alain mused, taking a seat as he picked up the helmet by the grave, running his thumb along it's cracked visor. "Dad… I don't know what to do anymore. I… I ran into the Siegfried. And I lost. I lost badly. And now I'm scared. Scared that I don't have the strength I need to overcome it. That I won't be able to protect everybody I love. Wyvern and I… neither of us know how to fight at our best the way we should. I used that system again today, but I still have no idea how I did it. But… something about it made sense. When I fought because I love the sky… because I wanted to save something… something just clicked. Revenge… it's not the reason I want. You and Mom… the others… I can't fight for the sake of avenging you. I don't understand it right now, but I'll figure it out. I have to."

"_Alain, I do not mean to sound insensitive, but might I ask what purpose there is to doing this?" _Wyvern asked. Alain set the helmet down and drew out the terminal. _"Wouldn't speaking to someone who can actually respond be a more productive way to resolve these troubles of yours?"_

"That's one of the weirder things about people." Alain said. "Even when people are gone, sometimes all we want to do is hope they can hear us, wherever they are. It may not help much, but sometimes it's the best we can do. By the way, do you have any new data from when the ARISE system triggered today?"

"_I can confirm the authorization to activate it is tied to your mental state." _Wyvern said. _"However there is still information that I am processing."_

"My mental state huh?" When Alain thought back on it, each time that system had activated, it had all been in situations where he had one thing on his mind: Winning for the sake of others and not himself. _'After Zola, Coco, and Miranda died, when we fought that Bighorn… and today because I want to change this world.' _All situations where anger and revenge were the furthest things from his mind. "Naomi was right. It all made sense once I was up there again. Sometimes it feels like the only place I can clear my head is when I'm flying."

As he stood to leave, Alain was met with a surprise as he turned to the gate and saw none other than Chris strolling into the yard and looking just as surprised to see someone else present. _'She almost never comes here.' _Alain thought. Chris probably had to be the one person who disliked the graveyard more than he did, so seeing her present at all, much less in this hidden portion of it, was a rare occurrence indeed.

"Uh… I… I think I'll go." Alain moved as soon as Chris turned to leave.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" He called out, closing the distance between him and her in an instant. Chris shot around with wide eyes from shock. "You already came this far already, no point turning around now if you're here to visit him right?"

"I… I wasn't expecting someone else to be here." Chris admitted. "I don't even know why I came."

"Will it help if I go the rest of the way with you?" Chris nodded and held her small hand out to Alain. As he took it and lead Chris along, Alain glanced back at her and could read the troubled thoughts spelled out all over her face. _'It's weird… I'm so used to seeing the girls when we fight. But at times like this I'm reminded of how small they are. I think I get why Ange charmed Tusk into fighting again.'_

"You decided not to bring Rosalie with you?" Hopefully some small talk would probably help as they weaved through the rows.

"I wanted to try and come here alone at least. Guess that's not working out." Chris's heavy sigh brought Alain to chuckle. He knew they were getting closer to the grave when Chris's grip on his hand tightened. It was impressive she'd decided to even attempt to visit this secret portion of the graveyard after so many years. _'Not even Zola negged her about visiting here.' _Alain thought as they finally stood before a grave marked with the name Brett Grimm.

"Definitely been a while." Alain remarked, Chris nodding as she knelt, picking up the dried flowers laid before the headstone. "Guess we're gonna have to take over for Zola on arranging the flowers this year huh?"

"Yeah." Chris nodded. "I don't really know what to say at all. I came here to at least try and figure something out but… just thinking about it makes me angry. There isn't a damn thing for us outside of here. And Hilda still left us to find something that ended up being pointless? What the hell… what could be out there when it's those people who're the reason my dad and mom are gone?"

"That's a pretty good question." Alain said. "All I can tell you is just talk with her once she's out."

"That's what I've been trying to do all this time!" Chris snapped. "I could tell something was bothering her but she would never tell us! And just when I had it in me to ask her myself, she up and vanishes!And _now _she actually wants to talk to me about it?!"

"Again, it's not my place to speak for Hilda. Just give her a chance after she gets out of the hole."

"Why should I? She left without saying a thing. Probably never thought of us as friends to begin with."

"I wouldn't say that's true." Alain said. Chris's fuming expression told him she wasn't letting go of this one easily. He could only guess how much it hurt Chris to have someone she considered a close friend – even a lover – seemingly betray her to go somewhere she hated. "Chris, I've said all I can. This is something between you and Hilda, so it'll just have to be sorted out once you can." _'If they even get the chance to.' _As he was deep in thought, he was caught off guard when Chris suddenly hugged him. "Chris?"

"Promise me… promise me you won't abandon us… that you won't abandon me." Chris said. "I don't want anyone else to leave again. So please promise me you won't."

"I'd never do that." Alain said, gently putting a hand on Chris's head. "I could've left a long time ago. But I chose to stay here. I'm not going anywhere Chris, I promise. I'm still around because of all of you. Though I can't always be the steadiest one in the room."

"I don't care. Just never leave. You and Rosalie… you're all I have for a family." Chris's hold on him tightened, and Alain returned it to try and comfort her a bit. "I don't like this world… I don't like that it keeps taking things from us. I hate that we can't change it."

"Well… there might be a chance. Maybe." _'This is why…' _Alain thought. _'This is why I want this world to change. I hate this, seeing them talk like there's no chance for anything better for us. It's not just making a new world for me. It's making one where I don't have to see people I love be in despair about everything. I will change it, I have to.'_

* * *

Mei had been busy with work ever since Snowbird and Alain had come back. With the report of the Wyvern using the ARISE System again she _had_ to look into it. Villkiss was her pride and joy sure, but the continued mystery of the Wyvern was a project she'd invested a lot of time into. Ever since it had arrived at Arzenal, her family had been hard at work trying to figure out its secrets.

And ever since Wyvern had started opening files with each "stage" Alain passed on whatever blocks its system had, her interest in the truth only grew. She'd also made sure to record every bit of it herself to painfully look it over to the last detail. Alain definitely wasn't going to do it.

"The more we dig into these files the more confused I get." Mei said aloud, cocking her head as she scrolled down the data pad. "Information about places that don't exist anywhere in the world, something called Draconium and ND Particles…"

"_It is a lot. Unfortunately, with the blocks that remain I cannot answer where it came from." _Wyvern said.

"Ah no need to be disappointed. You're doing what you can, big guy."

"_I do not have the ability to be disappointed anyway."_

"Well hey, we'll figure something out." Mei said. "Hmm… ARISE System release mode… we've been over that… ND Particle Shield… we need to run some tests on that during drills… hm?" her scrolling stopped when she reached an unfamiliar file. "Is this one new?"

"_I believe so. It became accessible after today's activation."_

"It says… Twin Drive System…" Mei opened the file, and as she went over it, her eyes widened by the word, until a loud scream made the entire hangar flinch. "This is it! This is what we've been looking for! Oh man oh man, I have to get this to Jill right away! Someone finish the maintenance on Wyvern for me!"

Whatever discovery she had just made, it was enough to send Mei sprinting out of the hangar at full speed. The ones who saw the girl pass did see she wasn't just excited beyond belief; her eyes had a spark of hope in them that could be considered rare on Arzenal.


	25. Chapter 23: Dirty Worker

**Chapter 23: Dirty Worker**

Emma could not possibly think she felt more stressed out than she was that morning. After two Norma had not only managed to escape under her watch by kidnapping none other than Lady Misty, she hadd spent the days waiting for the verdict. And her worst fears had come true. Rosenblum was sending an official, a _very _high ranking one, to come and investigate the state of Arzenal and rate her performance. And she could not be dreading it more. _'I worked too hard to get into this position. The Norma are troublesome but what I get out of it is far more worth it. But just… agh, damn those two runaways!'_

And she had no clue how she was going to explain herself. Perhaps the biggest issue was none other than Alain. Not only was the idea of a male Norma an utter anomaly, but his record was so sparse it was almost as if he'd just popped into existence at Arzenal out of thin air. Then there was that machine of his. There weren't any records of a Para-mail like that in any of the base documents. During previous Festas the issue had seemingly just been brushed aside by the Rosenblum family, so she just set it aside. But now they were sending a General with a record for being incredibly hard on Norma facilities that below his standards. Who would undoubtedly be far less lenient with these oddities than the royals bizarrely were.

"You're looking quite stressed." Emma almost went flying out of her shoes when Maggy just appeared behind her. Arzenal's head doctor had a bad habit of sneaking up on people. "You really need to find a way to relax, Ms. Inspector."

"You'd be stressed too if your entire career was suddenly on the line because of two reckless Norma!" Emma snapped. "Now if you will excuse me, I need to go have a talk with the Commander about how to keep this place in _some _semblance of order! Gugh, I would've liked to have just dealt with the issue personally. Especially after what those two did to Lady Misty. I can't believe she asked me to be _lenient _with them!"

"Hmm. Well good luck with that. In the meantime, I lined up something to mess with Alain and I can't _wait _to see the results! That precious maid made it too easy!"

"What did you put into that girl's head?!" Emma's objection didn't reach Maggy as she sauntered off. That was Emma's other worry. Ever since Ange had her property rights revoked in confinement, it _now_ meant Momoka was the sole property of Alain. The Inspector had to give Arzenal's sole male credit, he was quite hands-off with Momoka in the weeks since her arrival. But Emma was not ignorant of his attitude nor what he did in his spare time. _'They're all so… lascivious. Could they spare a shred of decency at times?'_

She could only imagine what if would be like for the general to arrive and hear about _that _kind of thing because some Norma wouldn't keep their traps shut.

For now she had other matters to focus on. And sorting issues out with Commander Jill came first on her list.

"Commander!" Emma called as she barged into Jill's office, finding the Commander placidly looking at files. The woman barely paid her mind as she strode up to her. "You do know who's coming today don't you?"

"You mean Rosenblum sending some big wig to give us the do over?" Jill said, snubbing out her cigarette. Emma covered her nose to block the scent. _'What does she even like about those horrible things?' _she thought. "Of course I've heard about it. What is it you're in such a panic about?"

"What am I in a… what am I _not _in a panic over?! Taking this position was _supposed _to be my ticket up in the military! And _now _I have a General known for his crack downs on Norma facilities coming here! If this goes wrong who _knows _what'll happen to me?!"

"Nice to know your priorities are in order." Jill placidly ignored the glare Emma gave her. "If you're here to demand I keep things in order, you have nothing to worry about. I can handle some big wig from the mainland."

"That's not the issue!" Emma's brow cricked as Jill gave her a raised brow. "I'm talking about the boy and his damn Para-mail! What do you _think _is going to happen when they see those incomplete files?! I've kept quiet about it considering it was perhaps classified information I didn't have clearance for, but now I don't know what to think either! And not just him! What about Ange's Para-mail? I have just as many questions about it! There's nothing in the database about those two machines ever being produced!"

"Inspector, relax. It's simply that the two prototype machines that were sent here for testing. When they were deemed to impractical for mass production we were allowed to keep them. That's all."

"And as for Alain?"

"An anomaly, a rare case that isn't supposed to be known." Jill tented her hands as Emma kept glaring. It clearly wasn't enough for her. "Do as you will. Just know we're both biting it if the General gets a bad impression."

"I am _well _aware! Be sure we don't have another mess."

As Emma stormed out, Jill went back to the files she was browsing. Mei had come to her in a surprising hurry the previous day after Snowbird's sortie. Jill of course was interested in what data the girl had uncovered following the usage of the ARISE System again. If it was a weapon that could be used for Libertus, than she saw fit to ensure its use as soon as possible while she planned on what to do once Ange's tenure in confinement was over.

"ND Drive Synchronization… Twin Drive." She repeated the name on the copied file. Wyvern had always been an enigma of a machine, and now that enigma was becoming just a bit clearer. ND Drives, particle engines that produced energy without the need for external charging, a system that released their limitations to draw out more performance, and yet something about it had still remained oddly out of place. And Mei's theory that there was more to it than just having two engines working in tandem had turned out to be correct.

"If possible… it may mean Wyvern just has the capabilities to not just go up against the Ragna-mails… but perhaps even outclass them." Jill found the idea almost amusing. _'Was humanity really so desperate to defeat God that they would create a demon like this to do it?'_

* * *

"Sir Alain? Sir Alain, are you awake?"

Alain let out a drowsy groan as he finally woke up. After yesterday's events and trip to the graveyard, he'd been in the mood to just sleep in a bit that day. He could get away with it. Though his own internal clock would have gotten him up in time for morning roll call anyway. Though then there was another matter for him. After that long talk with Chris, she'd spent the rest of the day with him, up to insisting on staying the night. _'I actually just expected she wanted someone to just sleep near. Why I only expected that I don't know.'_

Maybe it was a sign he at least was able to get his mind out of the gutter every now and again. Though it also probably spoke about a lot of things on Arzenal. _'Not like we have much else to get up to sometimes…' _So, as was probably far more common than it really should have been, Alain was groggy because of a long night. He had to admit it was kind of impressive how much stamina Chris had going for her, despite being probably the smallest member of Garm after Vivian. _'And she only seems more aggressive than she was before. I need to have a chat with Rosalie.'_

"Sir Alain?"

"I'm up I'm up." Alain muttered, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. Glancing down, as he expected Chris was next to him. But she was still snoozing. _'So who…?' _he got his answer when he glanced over and spotted Momoka. "What?"

"Well, I figured since it will be some time before Lady Angelise is released, I may as well serve you for a while." The maid answered. Alain's eyes widened as he finally remembered.

"Right… that contract. I forgot about that." He rubbed his eyes and managed to clear his vision. Nothing really seemed out of the ordinary. "You don't have to ya' know?"

"Consider it a token of my gratitude for helping me stay with Lady Angelise. And I see Ms. Chris is with you too. Good thing I made plenty for breakfast then!"

"You really don't." As his vision finally cleared out while Momoka was checking the cart she'd brought with her, he had to double take. He rubbed his eyes again _just _to be sure. And he was not in fact seeing anything. For some _blasted _reason – he already suspected who – Momoka wore only her apron, and preserving her least bit of modesty with a swimsuit underneath. "Momoka… what are you wearing?"

"Hmm?" Momoka froze and flushed a bit as attention was drawn to it. She turned around and cleared her throat. "Well… you see, I have only ever served Lady Angelise. So I am quite unaware of how I should go about serving a young man such as yourself."

"And how did you go about learning?"

"I went and asked Miss Jasmine if she had anything that could help me when Dr. Maggy up came and told me she had something!" _'I already don't like where this is going…' _he thought. "It was… rather odd. A manga I'd never heard about before that involved a maid. Dr. Maggy said it would serve the purpose, so I studied it dutifully these past couple of days!"

"Of course she handed you something like that."

"She also said boys your age quite like this kind of attire, though… I couldn't quite bring myself to wear nothing but the apron."

"God. Fucking. Dammit." Alain slapped a hand to his face and dragged it down. He caught the quizzical, painfully innocent look on Momoka's face. And he cursed himself for being unable to resist looking her over. He couldn't deny Momoka was definitely a pretty cute girl, and she had a surprisingly gracious figure going for her as well. _'I am however not keen on being on Ange's bad side once she's out.' _"Look, Momoka… please don't listen to Maggy. Ever."

"Hmm?"

"Maggy is a demon in a woman's skin. What she showed you? That was, well… porn." Momoka's face burned as he said it so bluntly. "Don't take anything that happens in it as a thing you should do. I can't exactly say I dislike the view, but… just if you are going to insist on helping me around until Ange is out, do it like you normally would."

"I… I should have realized there was something wrong." Momoka shrunk away. "I was wondering why the maid in that book did such things with her master but… I will get changed right away!"

"Just use the screen near the other dresser." Alain sighed as Momoka ducked to cover. "I am going to kill Maggy one of these days."

"You wouldn't seriously go through with that anyway." Chris said as she sat up, leaning into his arm. "Also… thanks for yesterday. I don't think I'd have actually gone to dad's grave if you hadn't been there."

"You're welcome. Next time let's go there with Rosalie so she can say hello. Your mom too. They basically treated her as their own anyway." Chris nodded while Alain ruffled her hair.

"Oh! I did hear some news from Miss Emma as well!" Momoka leaned around from the drawn screen, finishing up putting her proper uniform on. "Apparently because of what happened, a general from Rosenblum is coming to investigate Arzenal."

"Well shit." Alain muttered, Chris's grip on him tightened up as her eyes gained a hint of fear in them. _'I hope the guys at CROSS have picked up on this, because we're screwed if they don't do something.'_

* * *

A short while later, Alain had found himself being dragged to the internment cells by Jill. She'd been fuming since she'd gone to get him during breakfast, and he could only assume it had to do with the similar mood the Inspector was in. No doubt thanks to the news Momoka had told him about.

"You two, wake up!" Jill barked at Ange and Hilda once they got to the cell, the two girls slowly rising off their cots. And after three days without any kind of bathing, Alain could practically see their funk. _'Well… good thing I smuggled some things in.' _He was planning to stop by anyway, so he'd had Momoka help him stash a few things into his coat.

"What time is it?" Ange groaned.

"A bit past breakfast." Jill said.

"About time you showed up." Ange huffed. "Are you going to give me some answers now?"

"Like I said, I'll tell you once you've served your punishment. Not a moment sooner. There's something else I want to talk with you two about."

"Couldn't it have waited till we ate?" Hilda groaned. "And why'd you bring Alain?"

"He needs to hear it too. Thanks to your antics, the Management Board is sending one of their best from Rosenblum to give us the do over. Arzenal is supposed to be inescapable, but you've gone and proved there are kinks in the system. And I can't have some big wig general looking into our affairs."

"It's that Libertus thing, right?" Hilda smirked when Jill looked at her in surprise. "Alain and his buddies told me all about it. It's why I want answers too."

"Then you should know keeping the humans out of it at all costs is a must."

"I don't really give a damn." Ange said. "But it's not like I'm planning to tell them anything about your little secret. I've got my own plans to worry about." Hilda chuckled to herself and Alain rolled his eyes. Ange being such a bitch was almost admirable in some ways.

"I won't say a thing either." Hilda said.

"Don't see why I need to be here." Alain muttered, ignoring Jill's small glare. "But, whatever."

"Actually… I also came to say the person who'll arrive won't be who Inspector Bronson is expecting." All three looked to the Commander in surprise. "As much as it frustrates me, CROSS got word of this long before I did. They already have somebody on it. They wouldn't say who though."

"Whoa whoa, when the hell did you get a comm from them?" Alain asked.

"I didn't. Jasmine did. Should've known she had one of those old communicators stashed away." Alain looked away as Jill grumbled. She still didn't know he had one too, and he was not about to hint at that. "I still want you to keep quiet. I don't like CROSS shoving their noses into my affairs. That goes double for you Alain."

"Yes ma'am." Alain saluted as Jill left, and once she was gone, he let out a long sigh and sat down. "Man she is just gonna make this worse. CROSS better be sending someone who knows what the hell they're doing."

"You got any clue who it could be?" Hilda asked. "Better not be any of those guys from that one team."

"The only guy from Garuda who'd work an op like this would be Huxian. And playing dress up isn't exactly his forte. So I'm stumped on who they've got 'filling in' for this one." Alain paused in thought for a moment, his brow netting up. "There is someone I can guess but… I've got no idea if he'd even agree to it."

"Who?" Ange asked.

"I'll save it for when we find out." Ange rolled her eyes at the deflection. "Look it's safer not to speculate. Apparently they're showing up in a few hours by my guess. Anyway, how's three days in lockup been?"

"Boring." Ange grumbled.

"And… smelly." Hilda turned away, Ange and Alain catching her face flushing a bit. Alain chuckled and reached into his coat.

"Figures. Luckily, Momoka helped me come up with a way to sneak some stuff in." He reached into some freshly sewn pockets, pulling out a few small bottles of soap and shampoo. "It's not much but it should be enough to let you wash off at least a little bit. I can also probably sneak in some food if you want. Something better than whatever crap they've been feeding you these past few days."

"How's Momoka anyway?" Ange asked as Alain passed the items through to them. "You haven't done anything have you?"

"I have not." Alain said. "I am going to need to smack Maggy later though. Damn witch tried to retrain her with some… _interesting _material.I told Momoka to burn it."

"Good." Ange simply said.

"I could go for some fruit of some kind." Hilda said. "Just anything but apples."

"Gotcha. Now let's hope the guys got this one on lock. They better…"

* * *

The glittering expanse of the ocean rolled underneath the marked Rosenblum transport that was blazing it's way to Arzenal. Only interrupted by the occasional emerald speck of an island, and with the sky open of clouds it was definitely a beautiful day to be on a flight.

However, the passenger of this craft wasn't in the mind to take the sights in.

General Grisha Herman sat in the passenger hold with knitted hands and a crick in his brow. It wasn't some pleasure trip he'd signed on for, and he was plenty irritated. The news about Norma escaping from Arzenal had made one hell of a mess in Rosenblum, much less the news the escapees had kidnapped the Princess to use as leverage. The man was still in disbelief Lady Misty had asked the Inspector to be lenient with the Norma once they had been returned. However, he had to admire the girl's kindness, as misaimed as it might have been.

And then there was the Inspector. Emma Bronson had been foolish enough to let the Norma get the best of her, and he was planning to give her the lecture of a lifetime over it. Had it not been for her father the woman would have been court martialed immediately once news of the escape happened. But those weren't the only reasons for his ill mood. Unlike some, Grisha still in remembered the events of ten years ago. This was not the first time the Norma had gotten ahead of themselves, and he was sure it would not be the last. Another insurrection seemed just on the horizon, and this time, the General was keen to nip the bud before it bloomed. The attack on the Dawn Pillar several days ago had told him something was at play here. Why else would those dissidents go out of their way to rescue a Norma?

"Everything good back there, sir?" The co-pilot of the craft asked.

"Fine. How much longer until we arrive?"

"I'd say we've got about half an hour."

"Very good." As Grisha leaned back with the intent to get at least a bit of shut eye, the craft suddenly seized up and rocked like it had been struck. "What in the bloody… what was that?!"

"Engine malfunction. We'll have to set her down." The co-pilot said while the pilot wrestled with the controls.

"Where?!"

"There's an island that's about ten degrees to the left." The pilot said. Grisha made his way to the window and looked out, spotting a single island with a low jungle covered mountain dominating its core, a few coves dotting its perimeter. "The southern beach should be enough to accommodate her. We'll set down, check engines, and then be on the way."

"Make it quick. Bloody hell, they couldn't have bothered to check this thing?" Grisha sat back down with a growling breath, then glanced up when the co-pilot moved into the cabin. "While you're grabbing those tools, get me something to drink. I need one at this point."

"Yes sir." The co-pilot said. There was something about his salute that seemed… off. Like he was _trying _to be insulting about it. "What'll it be? I think they've got a good whiskey around here."

"That'll do."

"Oh, there _is _a thing I know… they call it a mindkiller."

"Mindkiller? What the hell kind of…" Grisha's eyes widened when something stung his neck, leaping up and covering the spot as he drew his gun, spotting the co-pilot spinning a now spent hypodermic pen in his fingers. "You… you're one of _them _aren't you?"

"You could say so. Nighty night General. Don't worry, it ain't gonna kill you."

"When did… how did…" Grisha wavered as the world started to spin. Everything became a wash of color and sounds as he stumbled back. "How… what are…" and then his words failed him as his legs buckled and he collapsed back into the seat, now not much more than a drooling mess.

"Whew! Gotta thank Dok for this one once we're back!" Louis threw off the helmet that had been keeping his face hidden once the General was finally out cold, slapping the man's face to make sure he was out of it. He'd shot the General up with quite the cocktail of hallucinogens, and he was frankly quite surprised it wasn't lethal. "Man, that is some strong stuff. Dok's a madman."

"We're just lucky the bastard was too focused not to notice anything odd." Huxian leaned back from the pilot's chair as High Roller and Shamrock came out from the side compartment. "Though being able to use Mana even in a limited manner has it's uses."

"Didn't suspect a damn thing!" High Roller chuckled, he and Shamrock hefting the unconscious general onto a stretcher as the craft set down.

"Let's get this done so we can scram. It's risky enough as it is." Shamrock said as the hatch opened. Louis waved the two forward as they scurried onto the beach. A submarine posted on the other end of the island would be their destination, and while they did that, Louis turned as Leon walked out from the trees, trussed up in a fitting Rosenblum officer's uniform.

"So, whaddya say,_ Major, _you ready to go?" Louis asked, Leon chuckling as he stepped onto the craft.

"As I'll ever be. Let's get Operation Dirty Worker underway."

* * *

The Command Center at Arzenal had quite the tense air about it as the operators kept their eyes on the radar for anything incoming. And the cause of it was mostly Emma, the Inspector all but carving a trench into the steel floor as she paced back and forth. Jill let out an annoyed sigh and snubbed the cigarette she'd lighted earlier, giving the Inspector a hard look as the woman's leg bounced.

"Would it kill you to settle down a bit? Your anxiety is affecting everyone."

"You'd be feeling the same way if your entire career was on the line! Ugh, what is even taking so long? Wasn't the transport supposed to be here by now?! Agh, what if something happened? The General's safety is also supposed to be my responsibility! If the Board finds out something happened to him before even arriving I'm as good as dead!" Jill tapped a finger of her prosthetic on the console. She had half a mind to just tell the hysterical woman and rat CROSS out for sticking their noses into things, much less for going through Jasmine first. _'Though I suppose they would have done this with my input or not… bunch of fools.' _

"We have an aircraft approaching from the west." Hikaru called out. "Commander?" Before Jill could respond Emma pushed past her.

"It's obvious who it is, just patch them through!"

"Yes ma'am. Attention unidentified aircraft, you have entered restricted airspace, please identify yourselves."

"_This is special transport Jigsaw 3. We're transporting a priority one VIP due to arrive for an inspection tenure." _To the surprise of the operators, the voice that greeted them was a man's. They were used to Alain's somewhat high tenor, so the deeper, scratchier voice that spoke was something new to hear.

"Wow. That's a voice." Pamela mused, clearing her throat when Emma glared at her.

"It's our guests. Direct them to land on the secondary landing strip." Jill ordered.

"We read you Jigsaw 3." Olivier gave the signal. "You're clear to land with the VIP. Please land on the secondary airstrip."

"_10-4."_

"Well then," Emma said. "if you'll excuse me Commander, I have to go and greet the General."

"I'll come with you. Might as well get meeting the guy over with. Pamela, you're in charge until I return." As Jill followed Emma out, there was a burning thought in her mind. Everyone in her inner circle, Ange and Hilda included, had been warned about this. But, while her past experiences with CROSS told her they knew their way around an operation, she still had her doubts. _'Whoever they sent, I'll be sure to rip him a new one for shoving themselves into my affairs.'_

* * *

From the cabin of the transport, the panoramic view of Arzenal was quite the nice one. From what Leon could tell, there were couple of new facilities built onto it since last time he had paid a visit. _'Has it really has been ten years?' _he wondered.

"You know, from up here I'd say the place looks inviting." Louis said, leaning on the edge of the window. "Tropical island in the middle of the ocean, nothin' around but you and cute girls. Needs more beaches though. Sheer cliffs ain't that romantic."

"And then you get down there and realize it's hell." Leon scoffed. "So, it's definitely all good? I'm gonna need you guys to make sure Herman's superiors stay off my ass."

"Don't worry about it. Dok's cocktail's gonna keep that guy out of it for so long they ain't gonna hear a peep from him! You just gotta make sure the Inspector gal isn't suspicious of a damn thing."

"And while I do that, everybody else gets things ready to intervene if the Nations act." Leon checked a hand mirror, adjusting a few things. To work with the role he had, he'd taken a few extra steps to play the part. Colored contacts that changed his grey eyes to blue, and a quick coloring gel that made his hair a shade of red. Adding on the requisite hat plus the flashy medals he'd picked out, he struck quite the image of an officer in the Rosenblum army. "Once you get word from Tusk, patch in and I'll get to work. I'll get Alain in on things while I try to convince Alek-Jill, to cooperate."

"Your tongue slipped." Louis teased. "Huxian, let's roll!"

"This is Jigsaw 3, coming in to land."

* * *

Emma felt like her heart was about ready to jump out of her chest as she watched the transport set down on the runway. She and Jill had just arrived in time to watch it settle onto the tarmac. Emma wiped her forehead off with her handkerchief, when a cigarette case was brandished near her face as the characteristic sound of Jill's lighter went off.

"Want one? Does wonders for me when I'm stressed." Jill said as she took a drag, Emma shoving the case away. She wasn't sure if the Commander was being sincere or not. She could never tell with a Norma.

"I'm quite fine. And please try to refrain from smoking much around the General. We'll likely make it out of this week with _both _of our hides intact if we make his stay pleasant."

"Sure. And maybe you can get transferred to a place more agreeable than this." Now Emma was _sure _Jill was being sarcastic about this. Of course though, Emma didn't expect Jill to understand how important of a post Arzenal was. She'd practically begged her father to get assigned here, all to be the start of a glorious and shining career in service of humanity. And now thanks to two blasted runaways, it could all come crashing down. And furthering that was her still present worries about Alain and the Wyvern. She'd heard plenty about General Grisha and his handling of Norma, much less his intolerance for incompetence. Just how would such a man respond to learning of those two anomalies? "Here he comes."

Emma went rigid as the transport's rear boarding ramp opened. One of the crew exited first and saluted, though Emma could have sworn there was an odd quirk in the man's face, like he was attempting not to laugh for some reason. But it wasn't the General who disembarked.

It was a younger man, dressed in the pristine white and blues of the Management Board's Rosenblum branch, the tails of the longcoat he wore billowing from the dying blow of the craft's engines. One hand was keeping his hat down while the other held a service issue duffel bag over his shoulder. The stripes adorning his shoulders marked him as a Major. His blue eyes looked over the area as he returned the salute from the pilot.

"No way…" Jill said so under her breath. Luckily, Emma didn't hear it as she was distracted herself. She had been posted at Arzenal for around a year, and now she was starting to realize how much she'd miss the sight of a man. Well, one that _wasn't _the kind of svelte, almost feminine sort like Alain. Even with the bulky coat on, she could tell the man was well built and solid. It was like she'd seen a recruitment poster model come to life. As they approached, the crewman ducked back into transport, its ramp lifting as it started to take off, leaving the man on the runway behind. _'What?' _Emma thought. _'Where's the General?'_

"We should go greet him, right?" Jill said, taking quite the long drag on her smoke.

"Y-Yes." Emma nodded and strode forward, intent to find out just what was going on. As she approached the officer, she was about as surprised at how unconcerned he seemed at the idea he was now here alone on an island populated by Norma. Even the biweekly crew for shipments were hesitant to go far from their crafts when making deliveries. "Welcome to Arzenal, sir."

"Second Lieutenant Bronson, right?" The man's gravelly voice was another thing Emma took as a pleasant reminder of the things she'd missed over the past year.

"Y-Yes sir!" She snapped herself to attention quickly and saluted. _'Get yourself together! You're a soldier.' _Thankfully for her, he didn't seem to notice her zoning out and returned the salute.

"Major Vincent Snow. On behalf of the Norma Management Board, I'm here to inspect Arzenal over the next week."

"Of course sir. But… about that, we were informed that General Herman would be the one doing the inspection."

"Yes, of course. I have to apologize, but we fed you false info in order to preserve the secrecy of this operation." The major said. "Aside from the escaped Norma, I'm sure you heard of the terrorist attack that happened in Misurugi."

"Well, yes, but, what would that…"

"We suspect it had to do with a group sympathetic to the Norma. Did you know that attack was carried out in particular to secure one of the escapees?"

"N-No sir, that wasn't in the report." Now she was really wondering about what was going on. "And as far as I know, retrieval was handled by one of ours. The special case I'm sure you've read about. The male Norma."

"I've seen some of the documents pertaining to him." Vincent said. "Norma #2185-22. We've heard a few things about him back at the Board. We can discuss more about this once we're inside though. There is a nice breeze up here but it's no place to talk business, wouldn't you say so, Second Lieutenant?"

"O-Of course sir! Follow me, we can discuss things in the Commander's office." Emma turned on her heel and marched off. As the Major followed her, his eyes met Jill's. And a smirk broke Leon's face.

"It's been a long time, Alektra." The man said, tapping her shoulder as he passed. Jill crushing her cigarette in her prosthetic's hand.

"Of all the people to send… they had to pick you."

* * *

**A/N**

**I feel like I should mention here a majority of chapter titles are references to songs from Armored Core and Ace Combat. Also at this point the comparisons between this and Knight of Hilda are getting kind of amusing to think over. Sometimes you just can't come up with a different plot device than the other guy. But that is why differing contexts exist. Thanks Erich, and I do not mean it sarcastically.**


End file.
